The Real Treasure in Life
by Whisperwings
Summary: Alexandra was never happier than she was at the Benboe Inn, but the night the pirates attacked changed everything. Now, she is about to join her best friend Jim on an adventure larger than she ever could have imagined.
1. Chapter 1

The Real Treasure in Life.

_A legend, a childhood tale. A hero and his best friend. An incredible map and a distant secret location. A cyborg and aliens and robots gone insane. Flying ships and giant mushrooms. Friendship, pain, love, hate._

_This story has it all, and best of all, it's being rewritten! Trust me, the original was horrible . I know I have a number of fans of this story, and I still occasionally get notices that someone has added it to their list of favorites. And every time I have to wonder…why? The writing was atrocious, the characters flat and almost mary-sue-ish…why on earth do people like it so much?_

_My best guess is that people liked the story enough to look past the horrendous writing. And then I feel guilty. Why should my most popular story also be one of my most poorly written?_

_So, I've decided to change all that. I am deleting everything on here and I am going to start rewriting the story entirely! For those of you who liked it before, I hope you do take the time to re-read this! It'll be well worth the time, trust me!_

_And for those of you who haven't read it yet…I hope to gain a few new fans_

_Here's to much better writing and a Spring story full of adventure, pirates, and a few good friends_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_

Chapter 1

Alexandra hitched up her shawl over her hair, though the soaking fabric did little to block the rain. She didn't think she'd ever been so cold. At least at home she'd had a roof over her head…a gun pointed to it too, but it was warm there.

She shook such thoughts from her mind. She'd left, it was over now. She never had to deal with them again…she had worse problems to focus on right now. Finding shelter for instance.

Arriving in the small town on Montressor, she'd been directed to a winding path leading away from the village by a bunch of boys. Alex had trusted them without question when they said there was an Inn up here somewhere, but now she was starting to doubt it. She'd been walking for what felt like forever.

She huddled into her shawl and shivered, walking on. With her head low to keep the rain out of her eyes, she almost ran head-long into a pole. She looked up and squinted to see the sign that hung from it.

"Ben…bowie…no, bow…in. Benboe Inn!" she whispered to herself. She was going the right way! Hope renewed, she started walking again, faster now that she knew she was heading the right way. It was good to know the boys hadn't lied to her. She shielded her eyes from the downpour, and finally saw a light up ahead. She scrambled along even faster, trying not to slip on the puddle covered path. She slid right up to the door, grabbing the handle to keep from falling over. Once she'd gained her footing, she tugged on the handle, but the door refused to open. Locked, of course. Alexandra pounded on the door with her fists in desperation. She was used to sleeping outside by now, but not in the rain! She didn't want to get sick, how would she ever find work?

A soft voice called that someone was coming and Alexandra stepped back before the door opened. A woman in a nightdress clutched a shawl around her shoulders, lifting a lantern to better see her late night visitor.

A girl on the doorstep looked tiny in her soaked state. Her wet hair looked almost black, hanging in dripping strings to her shoulders. She wore a plain, ill-fitting blue dress and an overlarge knitted purple shawl. Pale blue eyes lifted to her face, a spark of hope there.

"I'm sorry to bother you ma'am, but do you think I could stay the night here? I'll sleep in the kitchen or somewhere out of the way. And I don't have any money, but I'm willing to work off my debt." She said, desperate voice quick. The woman smiled down at her and stepped back, allowing the girl inside.

"Come in, and we'll get you settled." She said gently as the shivering girl inched her way inside. "You're welcome to stay as long as you need to. And don't worry about having to sleep on the floor, we have spare rooms."

"But…I don't want to be any trouble." Alexandra insisted, eyes wide.

The woman chuckled. "Trouble? My dear, this is an Inn, it's what we do! Now come on, we'll get you warmed up."

Alexandra looked around as the woman bustled off, finding herself in a large room full of tables and chairs. A bar was built on one end of the room, where items from the kitchen could be passed over to be served. At the other end of the room, the one closest to the door, was a small sitting area and a large fireplace. This was where the woman was, adding wood to the fire. Alex walked over, marveling at the large fireplace. She was sure she could stand straight inside it and not hit the mantle. As the flames sparked to life once more, Alexandra moved closer, standing as close as she could without catching on fire, trying to dry her clothes. The woman sat on one of the couches, watching.

"Now then, what's your name?" she asked.

"Alexandra Rose Valentine." The girl said, turning to dry her back. She felt the heat reach her bones and sighed happily.

"How old are you?"

"Ten and a half."

"Where are you parents?"

"I don't know. And I don't care." Alexandra said with feeling. "I left."

"I see…" the woman said softly. She wanted nothing more than to give the girl a hug, but knew better than to do so. She was glad to get away from her parents…she probably didn't trust many adults right now.

Alexandra looked up, nodding. "I'm willing to work to pay for my nights stay." She reminded the woman, who nodded.

"That'll work out fine. Would you care for something to eat before I show you your room? You look like you could use the meal."

Alexandra nodded slowly, hoping the woman hadn't heard her near-constant rumbling stomach. "A small something might be nice." The woman smiled knowingly and led her to a very messy kitchen, getting her two rolls and half a meat pasty on a plate, and handing her a glass of milk.

"Now bring that upstairs, and try not to spill, please." Alexandra followed her, concentrating on not spilling the nearly-full glass of milk or tripping over her own feet. She was led down the hall, to a room at the end of it. "This will do nicely I think." The woman said, opening the door and nodding.

Alex hid her reaction for the most part, but her eyes were round as coins. She'd never expected anything so pretty! There was a patterned blanket on the bed, and matching curtains. A teeny table and chair sat in the corner by the door, and she sat down her plate and glass. A small voice told her to hug the woman tightly, but she held back for now.

"Thank you, ma'am. I promise I'll work really hard!" she exclaimed instead, making the woman chuckle.

"My name is Sarah Hawkins, but please, call me Sarah. Now eat and get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, Alexandra." She said, shutting the door behind her as she left. The girl looked around the room with a smile. She'd never had her own room before…even if it was at an inn. Still, she had a real bed, a small stove to keep the room warm, and a large window. Though it was pitch black outside the glass, the water dripped down the panes with a comforting sound.

She hurried to the table and ate her food so quickly she hardly tasted it. She was already so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. But only once every drop and crumb was gone did she hang her shawl on the back of the chair and crawl into bed. She didn't even remember her head hitting the pillow.

Waking the next morning was an odd experience. Alexandra was comfortable, more so than she could ever remember being. She opened green eyes to a smooth wooden ceiling, and looked around her room. She smiled softly. It hadn't been a dream. But that also meant she had work to do. She slipped out of bed, tugging on too-worn boots and grabbing her shawl before leaving the room. It was barely dawn, most of the inn's inhabitants were still asleep.

Entering the large kitchen, Alexandra had to grimace. The place was a mess, how did anything get done in here? Dishes covered the counters, and dirty pots and pans were stacked beside and in the sink. The ten year old sighed and placed her shawl on a stool in the corner, pushing up her sleeves with determination. Time to get to work.

It was there Sarah found her a short time later, arms covered in soap suds as she scrubbed the last of the dishes. The rest were stacked neatly on clean counters, and the woman could see that the cupboards had been wiped clean for the washed dishes.

"Alexandra? Did…did you do all this?"

The girl blushed, unable to move from the sink. Instead she simply kept working. "Yes…I told you I'd work my way." She said firmly. Sarah beamed and swept over, hugging the girl tightly, not caring about the flying soap suds.

"You are an angel!" the woman said, and Alexandra couldn't help but giggle slightly. "You've more than paid off your night's stay!"

The disappointed look on the girl's face nearly broke her heart and Sarah smiled at the idea forming in her mind. "You wouldn't be looking for work by any chance, would you?"

She was rewarded when Alexandra's blue eyes shone like lanterns. "Yes ma'am. Would you by chance be hiring?"

Sarah chuckled. "I hadn't been looking for help, but I see now that a desperately need it. Now I think it'd be best if I don't pay you in money. But you'll have a room of your own, clothes that fit, and an allowance when I can afford it. You'll be helping in the kitchen, cooking and cleaning. And I could really use your help with the housekeeping in the guest rooms. It'll be a lot of work." She warned, but the girl was already nodding enthusiastically.

"Don't worry ma'am, I can handle it. You won't regret this!" She exclaimed, making Sarah laugh.

"Alright you're hired. But I'll have no more of this 'ma'am' business. Call me Sarah. Or Ms. Sarah if you must."

"Yes ma- Ms. Sarah." Alexandra said, grinning. Sarah patted her shoulder.

"When you finish up here, why don't you sweep out the main room. I need to get started on breakfast."

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Alright guys, I'm hoping to get some feedback here! There's nothing that makes a girl quite as happy as a few reviews in her inbox the day after posting a chapter :) Let me know what you think!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Sarah and her new helper worked together, preparing for a busy day of hungry patrons. Alexandra was given an old apron of Sarah's, tied tightly around her thin frame. After the clean dishes were put away, she swept out the main room and started wiping tables.

She was halfway done when a thumping on the door made her look up. The door was unlocked, why didn't they just open the thing? She finished wiping down the table, but the thumping continued. She finally dropped the damp rag and went to the door, cautiously opening it.

A boy around her age tumbled inside, holding what looked to be a squid. It had wrapped its tentacles around his head and covered his eyes. "Help! Get this thing off!" he cried. Alexandra giggled as he fell to the ground, tentacles having wrapped around his legs now. She knelt and grabbed a long floppy leg, pulling it away from his face.

He blinked up at her. "You're not Mom."

"Really? Never would have guessed." The girl said with a laugh, trying to get the suckers to release the boy's shirt.

"Well, who are you?"

"Alexandra. Who are you?"

"Jim, nice to meet you." He said brightly. Alexandra giggled as the creature rewrapped itself around his chest. "Hey, it's not funny!" the boy said, sounding offended.

"Yes it is." She replied in amusement. Jim tried to keep his angry look but ended up laughing too.

"James Pleiades Hawkins! What in the Etherium have you gotten yourself into now?" the two kids stopped laughing, looking up at Sarah.

"I didn't do anything! It dropped on my head!" Jim said defensively. This set Alexandra giggling again, and he grinned crookedly at her before a tentacle wrapped over his eyes again. Sarah sighed and shook her head. She pinched the squid thing where the tentacles attached to the body and one by one the arms went limp. Jim finally stood back, panting, beside Alexandra.

"Well, this will be perfect for tonight's special. Come on Alexandra, I'll show you how we cook these things."

The girl nodded. "I'll be there in a second, I have to finish with the tables." Sarah nodded and left and Alexandra got back to work.

"So…Alexandra, huh? That's a mouthful." Jim said, lounging against a table. The girl smacked him with her rag as she moved to the next table. "What, it is! Do you work here now or something?" he asked, sitting on a table now.

"Yup. Your mom hired me this morning."

"What about your parents?"

"They're gone." She told him. It was easier to talk to this boy than it was to his mother, but she wasn't about to share much more than she already had. "I'm really glad I get to work here though, it seems really nice."

"It's not too bad. Nothing special though." Jim said, scratching his knee before laying back on the table. "Hey, have you ever gone solar surfing?"

"Um…no. Why?"

"'Cause I built my own surfer! And I'm gonna go flying later, do you wanna come?" he asked as she came to his table. She poked him and he rolled over and fell onto the floor with a thump. "Hey!"

"This is the last one." She said with a giggle. "I'm not sure about the solar surfing thing though…I've never done it before."

"Oh come on, it's easy!"

"Well, if I get all my work done, than ok."

"Deal." Jim said, beaming. Alexandra giggled again, then went back to the kitchen to cook the squid thing. She kind of hoped she got all her work done in time to go, solar surfing sounded like fun.

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Alexandra quickly found that solar surfing was _not_ her thing. She didn't like that her only support was a board under her feet and a sail. And that the only reason she stayed on was because she held onto the handle. She didn't feel secure in the least.

Watching Jim was another story though. She loved to sit there in the canyon and watch as he flipped and sped about. It was easy to see that he really loved flying. He landed perfectly next to her and beamed.

"You sure you don't wanna try again?" he asked for the hundredth time.

"No Jim, I don't." she said with a laugh. She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. "I wish I had a solar bike…"

"What's a solar bike?"

"My dad used to have one. It's like a motorcycle except it had solar jets instead of wheels or hover pads. And it's so much fun! If I had the parts I could build one, but I have no idea where I'd find them."

"We have a big shed full of old parts and junk. My Dad left it all when he took off. We could take a look, we might have what you need."

Alexandra grinned and nodded, and Jim hopped back on his surfer. "Come on!" he said, as excited as she was. She hesitated and he grinned. "It'll be fine, I'll go nice and slow. Please Alex?" he asked with puppy dog eyes. "Hey that's what I'll call you from now on, Alex!"

The girl laughed and finally agreed, stepping carefully onto the board and hanging on for dear life. Jim pushed off, but he kept his promise, not doing any fancy tricks. And with Jim doing all the work, the girl had to admit, it was kind of fun.

The shed in the back of the Inn was dark and dusty, but Alex looked around in awe as they stepped inside. It was a mechanic's dream workshop! Tools were hung neatly along one wall and there were parts in boxes and on shelves and on the floor… The kids just beamed at each other and dove in. They managed to find a bunch of the main parts she'd need, and thought she may be able to improvise with the rest. She'd always been gifted with machines though, she she looked at the challenge as a fun one.

Sadly, it was getting dark and they both had chores to do the next day. They agreed to do their work as fast as possible the next day and walked together back to the inn, chatting about their plans the whole way.

The next day couldn't have gone any slower. Alex spent her time gathering dirty bed clothes and washing them in the huge laundry room at the back of the Inn. Then she had to help serve the lunch guests, and clean up after they were gone. Many of them were regulars, and knew Sarah by name. They seemed glad the woman had hired some help and talked enough to slow her down. By the time the supper rush was gone too, Alex was more than ready to get to work on her bike. She found Jim out back, where he was just finishing with the wood chopping for the day, then went off to the shed to get to work.

Days passed and soon Alex felt that she'd found the home she'd never had. Her room was on the top floor with Jim and Sarah, and though it was small, it was hers. She was grateful, she'd gotten a room with a large window and window seat. She spent a lot of her free time in that window seat, watching the people coming and going below or tinkering with something.

On Sunday, Alex rose and did her morning chores as usual, but when Sarah came down, she was tying a bonnet on her head and dressed nicely.

"We don't serve lunch on Sunday, so we're free to go to town. We need to get you some new clothes." She said. Alex looked down at her stained, shapeless dress and beamed in happiness. Jim came bounding down the stairs a moment later, pulling his boots on as he went and almost falling in the process.

"Ready!" he said when he reached the floor. Sarah pointed at the clock, which read two minutes past nine. "Oh man…"

Sarah laughed and led the way form the inn and Alex sidled over to Jim's side as they walked down the hill.

"What happened?"

"She told me to be ready by nine or she wouldn't get me anything in town."

The girl giggled. "You're just too slow." She teased, skipping ahead.

When they reached town, Alex was sure she'd never see everything. It looked much nicer in the sunshine than it had the rainy night she'd arrived. The market was bustling and colorful and it looked like everything imaginable was for sale! Sarah finally had to tug her away from a booth of tools to enter the tailor's.

"Ah Sarah! Has Jim shot up again? I don't think I can let the seams out anymore on those trousers of his." The man there said as they walked in.

"No Sam, I have a girl here who is in desperate need of new clothes." Sarah said, putting her hands on Alex's shoulders.

"Oh yes, Alexandra. I met you last night you may recall." He said as he grabbed a measuring tape. He flicked it about her quickly, muttering numbers as he went. How did he remember them all without writing them down? "I think I may have a few dresses which might fit, one moment please." He went into the back and appeared with an armload of fabric. "What kind of dresses are you looking for?

Sarah requested some simple dresses for work and a nice one for town and special occasions. Sam pulled three from his pile and had Alex try them on. Sarah agreed that they were all lovely, and bought them all without blinking. They also bought a few shifts and nightgowns, but Sarah decided not to get new boots yet. She'd only grow out of them, they could wait a while longer.

A few candy sticks and hours later, the trio walked back to the inn, the children chatting about the things they'd gotten to see. When they got back, Alex hurried to put her new clothes away, eyes filling with tears as she smoothed the fabric on her hangers. She's never owned more than one outfit before, and now she had four!

She was so glad she'd asked for directions that rainy night and that she'd been led here. She knew she'd love it here.

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Alex whooped at she zigzagged through the orange walled canyon. Her solar bike had been perfected, and she was trying it out for the first time. Her hair streamed behind her, a tangled banner of reddish brown. She was wearing a pair of Jim's old trousers and had tucked her shift into it. Her dress was currently hidden under a bucket in the laundry room behind the inn, so it wouldn't get dirty. She looked up to see Jim flying overhead on his solar surfer and she grinned, shooting straight up and making him yell in surprise as she passed only inches by him.

"Go Alex!" he shouted to her as she did a few loops before pulling along side him. They grinned at each other before heading back to the plateau they'd set off from.

Jim landed first and she followed, hopping off her bike. "We did it!" she cried, spinning happily. "It took two and a half years, but we did it!" Jim swept her into a hug and spun her again, making her laugh even more. "Thank you so much Jim, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

He laughed and put her down, looking at the sky with a sigh. "Almost time for dinner, we should get back." He said, disappointed. Alex made a face only to grin again and hop back on her bike.

"Race you back!" she called, taking off without him. She grinned as he yelled at her and stopped, hovering to wait for him. He pulled up beside her, crooked cocky grin on his face. "On your mark…get set…go!" she shouted and they took off.

They arrived all too soon, parking behind the shed and running back to the inn. Alex stopped in the stuffy laundry room and pulled on her dress once more, leaving her pants in the hiding spot instead. She went to the kitchen and tied on her apron, before she started peeling potatoes. When Sarah came in with their first batch of orders, Alex looked like she'd been there the whole time.

Alex worked diligently until the last guest had left, and then helped to clean up. She may sneak off every once in a while, but she always worked twice as hard to make up for it later. After all, the twelve year old had never been happier. She never wanted to leave this wonderful place she now called home.

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_So old readers will notice that not a lot has changed, lol. Story wise, it's still pretty much the same really! It'll just be much better grammar =P_

_Also, the chapters will be shorter than they used to be, averaging about 5 pages long. This way I can post more than once a week without feeling like overloading you all ^^ Just remember...the more reviews I get, the quicker I'll post!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Shortly before her eighteenth birthday, Alex was washing dishes and humming softly to herself. It was a pretty typical thing to see, seeing as the girl had taken on more and more of the work around the Inn as the years went by. Alex didn't mind though. She enjoyed staying busy, and washing dishes held a certain satisfaction for her. The more dishes, the more people had come to eat here. As money had gotten a bit harder to come by in recent times, their guests made all the difference.

Jim burst through the door, making her jump, and kept moving right to the back door. "Come on, Let's go!" he said loudly.

"Go?" she asked in surprise. "Go where? I'm kind of busy here." She pointed out.

"Who cares? I want to fly." He announced, slamming the back door open. Alex sighed. She supposed she could finish up later; she'd make sure they weren't out very long. She wiped her hands on her apron before removing the thing, then quickly hid her dress under the same old bucket she'd been using for years and pulled on a pair of pants. Jim's old ones had worn out a while ago, so she'd simply made some for herself. Or, requested that Sam the tailor make her some. She couldn't sew worth beans.

As she followed Jim through the back door, she sighed. He'd been wanting to go flying more and more often lately. The problem was that flying had a tendency to lead to breaking the rules. She wasn't sure which gave him the bigger adrenaline rush anymore. At first it hadn't been too bad, until he got caught in a restricted area by the police-bots. He'd gotten a lecture from his mother and for a while everything was fine. But then he did it again. After that, everything went downhill. Breaking the rules was the only thing that seemed to put a smile on the boy's face any more. He liked the thrill, and even worse, usually dragged Alex along for the ride.

She on the other hand, didn't enjoy it at all. Flying was fun enough for her; she was terrified of getting in trouble. She liked her life now, she didn't want to do anything to mess it up. She had a home and friends, her parents were long gone, and she never wanted to worry about them again. If the law found out that she'd run away, then they'd send her back. She had until her eighteenth birthday to be free of them for good.

Thankfully Jim never asked for an explanation of her fears, but he did keep her out of trouble. Just about as much as he got himself into it. Alex had made it her personal mission to get him back on track, and to keep an eye on him at all times.

By the time she reached the old shed, Jim was on his surfer, waiting. The moment she appeared he took off, and she huffed angrily. She jumped on her bike and threw open the throttle, shooting after him.

For a short while, she was able to leave her fears on the ground and enjoy the moment. This was when she was happiest, when she and Jim could just race along without a care in the world. They zipped along the ground before lifting off into the sky where they looped ad twisted, dodging each other with the ease of long practice. Jim smirked at her before flying high into the sky and dropping into a freefall. He spun and twisted until only feet from the ground where he raced past a cheering Alex.

Things seemed to be going wonderfully when Jim did exactly what Alex was afraid of. He flew over the fence of a restricted factory area where they were mining for special crystals which gave the planet its water, breaking the no-entrance sign on the way. Alex panicked and raced after him until she was within earshot.

"Jim! What are you doing? The alarm is going off!" she shouted. He either couldn't hear or ignored her. She sped after him as he dodged machinery expertly. Jim seemed to be having the time of his life, but Alex wasn't having fun anymore. "Jim!" she shouted again, desperate to get his attention.

He looked at her with that crooked, cocky grin of his, and then narrowed his eyes at a large wheel. He was going to fly through the hole during its half second opening. He'd mentioned trying it before, but she never thought he'd be stupid enough to actually attempt it! She watched as he lowered the sail on his surfer and whooped, sliding through the hole and miraculously not getting crushed.

Alex groaned and lifted her bike up and over the wheel. Jim may be a daredevil, but she wasn't. Her bike couldn't maneuver the way his surfer could. She refused to let him get her killed. She was about to shout again when police-bots appeared. She snapped her mouth shut and zoomed to the ground and followed them, realizing they didn't know she was here. Good. At this point, she fully believed that Jim deserved it…

She zoomed beneath the three, racing back to the inn. She landed there only seconds before they came into view and cursed. Dinner had started…she was late. She dashed inside, not even bothering to take off her pants as she tugged on her dress over it. She finished the dishes she'd left before grabbing prepared plates of food and heading to the swinging door to the common room.

She took her place at the bar counter there, handing a ruffled Sarah plates with a guilty smile. She watched as Dr. Delbert Doppler had some trouble with a young child with a wicked tongue and giggled. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow, pointing to his face beside his nose. Alex blinked in confusion and reached up. Her fingers came away with engine fluid on them. She quickly scrubbed her face with the underside of her apron, then looked at Delbert again who nodded and gave her a smile.

It was barely a second later that the front door slammed open, revealing Jim flanked by the police-bots. Sarah dropped her stack of dishes in surprise, while Jim tried to act as if nothing had happened.

"Ok thanks for the lift guys." He said, brushing the officer's hand from his shoulder. The bot grabbed him again.

"Not so fast." It ordered in its mechanical voice. "We apprehended you son operating a solar vehicle in a restricted area."

The other spoke up. "Moving violation 9-0-4, section fifteen, paragraph..uh…"

"Six?" Jim said helpfully.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

"Jim!" Sarah exclaimed angrily.

"As you are aware ma'am," the bot continued, "this constitutes a violation of his probation."

"Yes." Sarah said awkwardly, trying to glare at Jim and look apologetically at the police-bots at the same time. "Yes I understand. C-could we just-"

At this point Delbert interrupted, but Alex couldn't hear what was said. She was behind the counter, cleaning up the broken dishes Sarah had dropped. She hurriedly put them on a tray, only to cut her thumb on a sharp edge. She cursed to herself and sucked on her thumb for a moment, before forcing herself to take her time. She put the tray on the counter and grabbed a broom to sweep up the smaller pieces.

"…have impounded his vehicle." One of the bots was saying. "Anymore slipups will result in a one way ticket to juvenile hall."

"Kiddy hoosegow."

"The slammo." The bots said, taking turn. Alex figured they had either been given the same programming or they had been partners for _way_ too long.

"Thank you officers, it won't happen again." Sarah spoke the second half of the sentence to Jim, an emphasis on every word in a hope to drill it into his head.

"We see his type all the time ma'am." One of the bots said.

"Wrong choices." The other added.

"Dead enders."

"Losers." Alex clenched her fists, but didn't say a word. At one time, she may have come forward and tried to defend her friend. But not this time. She'd done her best to help him, but she didn't seem to be having any effect. She hoped that something this drastic might knock some sense into him.

"You take care now!" the police bot said cheerfully, raising his hat.

"Let's motor." The other said. They rolled out the door and closed it behind them, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Alex looked around the inn's common room, realizing the entire supper crowd had gone silent to listen. Then as one, they all went back to their conversations, giving Jim and his Mom as much privacy as they were going to get. Alex couldn't hear them over the babble, so she simply finished cleaning up the ceramic shards and dumping them in the trash bin in the kitchen.

She was about to go back out and gather the dirty dishes when Jim pushed the door open, the dishes in his hands. He slammed them down and sat on the stool in the corner, glaring at the wall. They were both silent. Finally it stretched out too long and Alex had to say something, anything, to fill it.

"I don't know why you're so angry at the wall Jim. It didn't do anything to you." She looked over her shoulder to see him glaring at her. She quickly turned back to the sink, scrubbing hard at a particularly stubborn spot on a dirty plate.

"No, the police did. I swear, they have it out for me!"

"Well yeah, that's what happens when you keep breaking the rules." Alex pointed out.

"How come everything I do is wrong?" he finally said, almost shouting in his anger. "No matter what I do, I'm never good enough! All I want is a little break every once in a while, from this stupid inn. No one cares about me here, they just don't want an embarrassment to the town. No one understands what it's like to work here day in and day out, never having any fun, not having any friends. The kids at school don't think I'm cool enough for them, and no matter what I try, they don't accept me. No one gets it!" he finally stopped his shouting, breathing hard.

Alex didn't like to cry. In fact she detested it. Everything she'd learned as a kid told her it was a sign of weakness. But now, she couldn't help it. Tears were flowing silently down her cheeks.

She calmly set a pot to dry, wiped her hands on her apron, and turned to the counter where she chopped greens for a salad. She had to face Jim, and though she couldn't stop crying she had work to do. She let her hair fall forward, figuring he wouldn't notice. Not when he was so angry at everything.

Jim was glaring at the wall again. He was fuming and didn't care who knew it. He waited and waited for Alex to scold him or something, but she didn't say a word. He finally looked at her and watched her work. It wasn't until she lifted a handful of greens and dropped them in the large bowl that he saw the glimmer of tears on her face. He thought back over what he had said and almost smacked himself in the forehead. Everything he'd said applied to her as much as him. And he'd practically told her she didn't matter.

Alex was a very hard worker. She never complained about the workload she'd been given, even though she sometimes collapsed from exhaustion after a hard day. She didn't get an allowance anymore because the inn was so low on funds, so she couldn't even get herself the occasional reward. She never took breaks unless she was practically ordered to, because she hated resting when there was work to be done. The kids at school didn't associate with her at all. Jim had been exaggerating when he'd said he wasn't accepted. But the others thought Alex was odd for not having a family of her own and for missing so much school for work. Hardly anyone but the customers at the inn talked to her aside from Jim and Sarah.

And he had said no one understood, when she of all people understood the best. He looked at his hands, feeling ashamed. He stood and walked over to her, and she ignored him entirely. Finally, when she put the sharp knife down and lifted more greens into the bowl, he turned her around by her shoulders. She had stopped crying, but there were still clean tracks where her tears had washed away the dust from their canyon flight. She glared at him defiantly, daring him to say something. He didn't, instead, pulling her close into a hug.

Alex didn't relax. She didn't want to. She was supposed to be angry with him, not forgiving him! But he just stayed that way until her anger ebbed away. Finally, she let the tension leave her body, leaning against him and resting her head on his shoulder. It was enough for him to know she'd forgiven him.

"I'm sorry." He murmured into her hair. "I didn't mean all that, I was just upset."

"I know." She said softly. She straightened and pulled away, wiping her face on her apron and went back to the salad. "Come on then Hawkins, better get to work." She said, though a smile laced her voice.

The two worked hard for the rest of supper and did the cleanup without Sarah telling them to. Both felt guilty for running off that afternoon, and Jim was finally starting to feel bad about his behavior. Alex didn't say a word, but she was glad. If he felt bad, maybe he was realizing it was time to change.

Eventually Sarah shooed them out so she could have some time with Delbert, who'd stayed with a book. He and Sarah were close friends and he'd known she needed to unload. He'd pretended to just be too busy to notice that everyone else had left, waiting for her to come to him.

Alex and Jim hurried into the kitchen, where Jim dashed out the back door. Alex sighed as she tugged off her apron and finally took her pants off from under her dress. Once she was done, she followed her friend out the back door. She knew exactly where he'd gone. She climbed the handy stack of firewood against the wall, jumping to grab the edge of the roof and pull herself up with a grunt.

As much as she hated it…it was time to confront Jim.

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Oooo drama! Alright, not really, lol. After Spirals of Affection, this story is very drama-less actually O.o Alright, I dunno if you previous readers have noticed, but Alex's looks have changed =P She's got pale bue eyes, not pale green! I have been accused of copying Dolphy and self-inserting by the same person, and I decided that it was just time to change things a little..._

_As far as Dolphy goes, i've never read her stories, and I hadn't even heard of her when I wrote this...so if anyone think i'm copying her, I'm not! Just to let you know now :P_

_Please review and let me know what you think, it means so much to know what people think of my new chapters!_

_Your Hungry Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The lowest roof in the inn was the only one that wasn't rusting through and the only one could move about on without worrying about falling right through. Jim loved it there. You could see all the ships coming and going, and get the perfect view of the sunrise if you were up early enough. Alex found the boy sitting near one of the skylights. Sarah and Delbert were visible down below, and the woman's voice carried through the glass. She sounded pretty stressed.

"Why do you do it Jim?" Alex asked. She could have sworn Jim jumped about a foot in the air before he turned, blue eyes asking what she was talking about. "Why do you go out and break the rules? Why do you leave in the middle of a job rather than taking your break after it's done? Why does it seem like you're trying to hurt your mom so much?"

As she spoke he'd turned to glare at the stars. She stalked over as best she could on the sloped roof without falling off or making a noise, standing right in front of him. He had a choice to look at her face or her shoes. He chose the latter.

"You're always leaving to go flying, even if you're supposed to be doing something else. And then you drag me along too! I can go along with that, I know I'll get my work done. But then you have to go and pull stunts like the one earlier. Trespassing and doing dangerous tricks! That wheel thing you did today…do you realize that you could have been killed? Flying used to be fun Jim, but with all the crap you pull now, it's not fun anymore."

His eyes held a flicker of sadness. He looked down through the window into the common room. Sarah was sitting at the table now, her head in her hands. She looked utterly exhausted.

"I do care…it's just…" Jim started, but he stopped when a whistling sound filled the air. Alex stood to turn and look, gasping when a ship flew right past them, barely missing the roof and smoke streaming from the engine. Alex stumbled backwards and sat down hard beside Jim in surprise. The ship crashed against the dock, metal groaning as the thing slid right to the end of the pier, steaming and sparking.

Jim was up and moving before Alex even made it to her feet, untangling her legs from her skirts. His casual leap from the roof wasn't as easily mirrored by her, as she lowered herself down before falling to the ground. She then hitched up her dress to run after him. When she got to the ship, Jim was knocking on the window, calling to see if its passengers were alright. She skidded to a stop and almost fell over again when a clawed hand hit the window. The door opened and smoke gushed out, an old man practically falling from the ship. He coughed and wheezed, claws wrapped protectively around a small chest.

"He's a comin'" he said, straightening as much as the shell on his back would allow him, pulling the cloak tight around his shoulders. "Can you hear 'im? All those gears and gyros clickin' an' whirlin' like the devil 'imself?" he grabbed Jim by the collar for a moment before turning back to the ship. Alex moved around to the engine of the ship to see what was wrong with it.

"Hit your head pretty hard there, huh?" Jim asked confusion evident in his voice.

"Jim!" she called from the engine portal. "Jim, this isn't a breakdown, the starboard engines were shot out by a laser beam of some kind."

"He's after me chest!" The old guy said by way of explanation. "That fiendish cyborg and his band of cutthroats." He grunted as he pulled his precious chest onto his shoulder with difficulty. "But he'll have to pry it from Billy Bones' cold dead fingers afore I…" he was cut off by violent coughing and collapsed forward. Alex went to help, hitching her skirts up and tucking a corner into her belt to keep them out of her way. Jim helped him to stand while Alex supported his other side, taking the weight of the chest off his hands. "That's mighty kind of ya both." Bones said as they started the trudge up the hill. Alex and Jim looked at each other wryly.

"Mom's gonna love this." Jim said, sarcasm dripping from his voice, and Alex groaned at the thought. After everything else that had happened today, an injured stranger was going to make her night.

The trio moved awkwardly up to the inn, the cloudy sky finally starting to dump buckets of rain on them. Alex's mind recalled her first night on Montressor, and how it had felt much like this. Dark, wet and a confused and frightened girl making their way to a rundown inn. Though this time, she was helping to pull a heavy old man there, and the road felt even longer than it had back then.

She was about to kick the door a few times to get someone to open the door when Delbert did just that. Sarah's gasp was audible even over the rain. "James Pleiades Hawkins!"

"Mom, he's hurt…bad!" Jim said by way of explanation as they moved through the door. The old man coughed and fell to the floor, grabbing Jim's shirt and pulling him close. He said something no one else could hear, before opening the chest and handing the bundle inside it to the boy.

"Beware the cyborg, beware…the…cyborg." He whispered. And then…he was dead. He relaxed so much that he seemed to shrink. Alex realized he'd been fighting his last breath with everything he had. She shivered, staring at the dead man on the floor, when a large shadow – her own – made her spin around.

She realized that the light had filtered through the window. Another ship. Except this one wasn't crashing, it was performing an orderly search of the building. She shuddered with a sudden chill as the heard them land in front of the Inn.

Jim was the first to move, sneaking over to the window. He opened the shade only a crack and peered through. Whatever he saw was enough to scare him, which in turn scared Alex. He grabbed her arm and pushed her to the stairs.

"Quick, we gotta go!" The urgency in his voice kept Alex running as the boy went back to grab his mother's hand. The sound of a laser firing ushered Delbert to follow.

"I believe I'm with Jim on this one!" he shouted on the way up. Alex led the way to the room at the end of the hall, and threw open the door. She stopped, unsure where they were going, but Delbert had an idea. He ran to the window and pushed it open, leaning perilously over the sill and shouting. "Delilah! Hallelujah!" An odd choice of words, Alex thought to herself. Maybe his mind had finally cracked from the stress of being under fire. She heard an odd grunting noise outside and raised an eyebrow. "Good, stay! Don't move!" Delbert called. He pulled Sarah up into the window sill, telling her not to worry. Alex looked over her shoulder and spotted the shadows of people coming up the stairs.

"Jim, they're coming!" she said quickly, running to the door to shut and bolt it. Jim pushed Delbert and his mother out of the window before their count of three, then grabbed Alex's arm and pulled her out after them. The four landed in Delbert's buggy, only designed for two. Alex half fell and half sprawled across Sarah and Jim's laps, and Jim quickly wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from falling out of the bouncing buggy. As they rushed away, Sarah looked back at the burning Inn she'd worked on her whole life, the look on her face one of utter despair. Alex bit her lip and looked at Jim who sighed and shook his head. He didn't know what to say either…

After their momentary adventure, the rest of the buggy ride was boring and uneventful. Alex strained her ears for the first ten minutes, wondering if they'd been followed. But there wasn't a sound aside from the rain, which had only gotten worse.

"What was it?" she finally asked softly. Jim looked at her in confusion and she nodded to the large lump in his pocket. "The thing Bones gave you."

"Oh…right." Jim said, pulling the bundle from his pocket. Like her, he'd forgotten about it in the thrill of the escape. He untied the fabric and it fell open to reveal a bronzy sphere, covered in engraved lines and circles. Neither Jim nor Alex had ever seen anything like it, and inspected it the rest of the ride.

As they reached Delbert's house, Alex realized why the doctor insisted that he had plenty of room. His humble home was in actuality a mansion, complete with a large observatory on one end of the building. A tour would have taken forever, and was pointless as most fo the rooms sat empty and unused.

As Delbert took Sarah and Jim to warm up, Alex slipped away to get things ready. Sarah was exhausted and had just lost everything she owned in the world. She needed rest, and a place to do so. Alex found three rooms near the observatory and quickly cleaned them out, moving dust covered sheets from the furniture and replacing the sheets with clean ones from the linen closet. She'd do a better job later…maybe the next day. She made one final stop in the kitchen and made some tea, bringing it on a tray to the observatory where Delbert had stationed Sarah in a chair by the fire.

The look on the woman's face nearly broke her heart. Alex was upset about losing the inn as it was…but it had been passed down through the woman's family for generations. To be torn from your home like that…it must be horrible.

"Any news on the inn?" she asked, setting the tray down and looking at Delbert. The dog-man sighed, ears flopping as he shook his head.

"I just spoke with the constabulary, those blaggard pirates have fled without a trace. The Benboe Inn was burnt to the ground."

Alex sank into an empty chair in shock, unable to believe it. The Inn had been so good to her…it had brought her real happiness for the first time she could remember. And now it was gone… Maybe it was her fault. Her father had always said she was a curse…

Jim placed a blanket around his mother's shoulders, looking much like Alex felt. Lost and a little out of place. There was nothing they could do to make things better.

"It seems an awful lot of trouble to go to over such an odd little sphere." Delbert noted, making them all glance at the thing. It sat innocently on the table, firelight reflecting on its smooth surface. Delbert continued to make little observations, seemingly in an effort to take Sarah's mind off of things. Jim on the other hand walked to the little table, picking up the sphere and inspecting it more closely. Alex stood and went to join him, wondering what was so special about it. It looked like nothing more than a gaudy paperweight to her.

Jim had other ideas though, pressing on the circles like buttons. Finally one of them clicked inwards, making all the circles pull towards the interior with a pneumatic hiss. Alex's pale blue eyes widened as she reached out, twisting a section of the sphere until it lined up in a different pattern. Jim followed her example, twisting another section. Maybe they could puzzle this thing out…

Delbert was still speaking when it happened. "It could take years to unlock its secrets-hey!" A green light zoomed from the sphere, zooming around the room into streams and ropes of green. They quickly surrounded them in a grid pattern and Delbert gave voice to her suspicions. "Why…it's a map!" Tiny green sparks came forward to form planets and nebulas, stars and even black holes. Everything in their universe was in the room with them, to perfect scale! Alex spun, eyes wide as she tried to see all the little details.

"It's actually pretty…in a bizarre, weird kinda way." She said softly. "There are things here that I've never even heard of, and I've been to more places than I can count!"

"Wait wait wait, this is us! The planet Montressor!" Delbert exclaimed, making Alex hurry over. It was like being in a ship, watching the planets and moons from a distance. The girl lifted a hand, hesitated, and then reached out to brush the image with a single finger. The resulting flash made her jump backwards, and then the surrounding map started spinning, as if they were flying in a plotted course.

"That's the Magenellic Cloud! Whoops!" Delbert shouted, jumping out of the way of a small moon. "And that's the Coral galaxy!" He continued naming various well known places, as Alex danced out of the way of one planet after another. Jim simply stood in one place, watching in amusement as a galaxy hit him in the chest, exploded, and reformed behind him. Alex wished there was a pause button, this was incredible!

"What's this?" Delbert asked, voice full of wonder. Alex turned to look, seeing a planet with two rings circling it. "Why it's…it's.."

"Treasure Planet." Jim supplied.

"No!" the doctor exclaimed in excited disbelief. Alex had thought Jim had been kidding, she'd never heard of any Treasure Planet before.

"That's Treasure Planet!" Jim repeated, sounding more excited than he had in months. Delbert started saying something about the 'loot of a thousand worlds' and Alex grew more confused. What were they talking about? Delbert was going on about being famous for the discovery when Jim closed the sphere down.

"He'd be able to experience – Ooo what just happened?" His triumphant voice went up an octave as the green light zoomed back to the sphere in a flash.

"Um…what's Treasure Planet?" Alex hesitantly asked, but Jim was too fired up to answer.

"Mom, this is it! The answer to all our problems!"

"Jim, there is no way-"

"But don't you remember? All those stories?"

"What stories? What treasure?" Alex asked, but was ignored further.

"That's all they were! Stories!" Sarah told her son.

"With that treasure we could rebuild the Benboe a hundred times over!" Jim insisted.

"That's a lot of treasure…what are we talking about?" Alex begged, still getting no answer.

"This…this is just…oh my, Delbert? Would you please explain how ridiculous this is?" Sarah had turned to Delbert for help. Personally Alex thought this was a bad idea considering all that 'pantheon of explorers' stuff he'd said earlier.

"It's absolutely preposterous, traversing the entire galaxy alone!" Sarah crossed her arms with a satisfied smile. "Which is why I'm going with you!" he finished. Sarah cried out in dismay as the man dashed around the room, stuffing strange objects into a bag as if he was about to walk out the door and just leave.

Alex was more confused than ever and growled to herself as she plopped down in her chair. Delbert was spouting off his plans to find a ship and a crew and seemed to have everything all planned out in his head already. Sarah huffed angrily, hands on her hips.

"You're not serious?" the woman asked the over-excited Doctor. Delbert was so ecstatic about the ideas in his head that he slid right down his giant pile of books to dance.

"I've been waiting all my life for this kind of opportunity, and now, here it is! Screaming "Go Delbert, go Delbert!""

"Okay okay, you're both grounded!" Sarah exclaimed in her best stern mother's voice. Alex snickered to herself as Delbert rubbed a toe on the floor like a kid caught stealing cookies. She resisted the urge to once again ask what everyone was talking about and settled in to wait. She's just demand an answer from Jim later.

"Mom." Jim's tone was deadly serious and pleading, prompting his mother to turn and give him her full attention. "Mom, I know that I keep messing everything up. And I know that I let you down. But this is my chance to make it up to you! I'm going to set things right."

Sarah's attention was pulled once again by Delbert who took her to the side to speak softly with her. As the two of them muttered to each other, Jim looked at Alex with a question in his eyes. The girl smiled gently and nodded her support. He was trying to show his mother – and her – that he _did_ care. Enough to even admit that he was in the wrong. Alex couldn't think of a better first step.

Finally Sarah turned back. "Jim…I don't want to lose you."

The boy smiled in reassurance, though a spark of excitement still glittered in his eyes. "Mom, you won't. I'll make you proud."

Alex already was proud of him. For the first time in a long time, there was a drive in Jim's voice. He wasn't just saying these things to get to go on this trip; he really did want to change things. It looked like the seriousness of things had finally gotten drilled through that thick skull of his. He was ready and willing to make an effort.

The girl smiled happily and yawned, trying to shake off the tiredness which was quickly setting in. It had been a very long day, and much more exciting than she was used to. She pulled her knees up onto the large armchair and laid her head back. She didn't mean to do more than blink, but she was sound asleep almost as soon as her eyelids had closed.

Jim and Delbert continued their discussions and plans for a time, but Sarah was quick to put a stop to it at Jim's first yawn. As both of the boys were ordered to bed, Sarah realized that Alex had stopped asking questions a while ago. The girl was curled up in her chair, fast asleep. Sarah had to smile and grabbed Jim's sleeve before he'd left the room, sending a look in the girl's direction. Jim gave his mother a look of his own, but went to pick up the sleeping girl from her chair.

Jim followed his mother out of the room and down a nearby hallway to the rooms Delbert had offered them. He went straight to Alex's, knowing it was hers from her boots discarded on the floor. They were too small and pinched, so she often took them off the moment she could do so. And yet she never complained… Jim realized he admired her for it as he laid the girl on her bed and hesitantly pulled the blankets up over her. He complained about everything, he'd never have been able to keep his mouth shut for so long about something like that. Ill fitting boots were the banes of his existence, he spent so much time on his feet.

As he went next door and climbed into his own bed he had to grin. Soon, they'd be rich enough to buy enough boots to last a lifetime. For the entire town even. He quickly fell asleep to dreams of green lights and piles of treasure he could almost reach.

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Whoopsy guys, sorry for the delay ^^; One issue of not having a posting schedule is that I tend to forget about posting at all O.o_

_Hint hint: reviews remind me that I have a story that needs posting :P_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Waking up was a strange experience for Alex; for a moment she had no idea where she was. For a long minute she thought she was sleeping on a cloud before she remembered that they didn't use Cloud beds at the Benboe Inn. Then she remembered the details from the night before and sighed. She wasn't sleeping on a cloud, just one of the guest beds at Delbert's mansion of a house. The Benboe was gone.

The very thought made tears come to her eyes as she opened them. The ceiling was an off white color with elegant gold trim. But in truth, she'd much rather have woken to the plain wooden ceilings of the Inn. The plain ceiling looks like an empty picture frame, dull and boring. There was no warmth, no character.

She looked around and made a face as she blinked away the sadness. The room itself wasn't much better. Everything seemed washed out, as if someone had swept through the room and stolen the color. The pale pastel tints were so bland compared to the color she was used to.

She hopped out of bed and almost hopped right back into bed with a yelp as her bare feet met the cold floor. It only took a glance at the window to keep her moving: she should have been up ages ago. She shuffled to the fireplace and poked at the dying embers until they flared to life once more, slowly adding sticks as she mentally reviewed her chore list.

Oh, that's right. She didn't have one. She didn't have an Inn to help run anymore. She couldn't even get dressed, she'd slept in what were now her only clothes. Well…she may as well go find the others. Maybe she could at least get an idea of what was going on now.

She grabbed a light blanket from the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders, exiting the room only to find more of the same bland décor. The plush carpet in the hallways masked any sound her passage made, and she hurried to the observatory.

"Good morning Doctor." She said with a smile when she spotted Delbert in his maroon dressing gown in the room.

"Good Morning Alexandra! Please have a seat, breakfast will be done shortly."

Alex sank into the same chair she'd fallen asleep in the night before, head tilted to one side in confusion. "Is Sarah already awake?"

"Hmm? Oh no, I have a cook and a maid." He said with a chuckle. "I dare say they're quite excited to have someone else beside grumpy old me to serve."

Alex nodded but stayed silent. It felt strange to be sitting here in such a fancy room, knowing someone else was working on food for her. She was used to being on the other side of this exchange. Jim arrived a short time later, announcing his presence with a large yawn and a teasing glare in her direction.

"How is it you're always up before me?" he asked as he slouched into a second chair.

"Because I'm not as lazy as you." Alex retorted with a grin. Sarah was the last to arrive, the bags under her eyes proving that she hadn't slept well. Alex was glad she'd slept in a bit at least…every little bit helped.

As a hearty breakfast of pancakes, bacon and eggs arrived with the smiling cook, the talk turned back to plans for the expedition. Alex still didn't fully understand what was happening, but sailing through space again sounded like quite the adventure. She'd missed life among the stars.

"We'll need a ship, a crew, provisions-"

"Clothes?" Jim interrupted, ignoring the look Sarah was sending his way. Delbert instantly looked ashamed.

"Why didn't I think of that before? Thank you, Jim. Sarah, why don't you take Alex and Jim and get yourselves some clothes today?"

Sarah looked at her lap, flushing slightly. "Delbert, we're a tad short on funds at the moment…" her voice trailed off as Delbert tutted at her.

"I have plenty of money, please use whatever you need." He insisted, ignoring any protest she could come up with. "Sarah, you have given me the opportunity of a lifetime, the least I can do is help you out after everything that's happened." As soon as breakfast was gone and their appearances straightened up a bit, the Doctor was shooing them out the door.

The walk to town was shorter than usual, as Delbert's mansion wasn't nearly as far away. Alex was grateful for it; her too-small boots had rubbed a hole through her stockings and were starting to give her blisters.

Their first stop was Sam's tailor shop, where the kind man greeted them warmly with a bear hug. He'd heard about what had happened, and was eager to help his friends. Sarah ordered her usual simple shifts, dresses and aprons. Jim was measured for trousers and shirts, and a new jacket. Though he insisted it be the same style as his old one. Alex's turn finally came and she made sure to request both dresses and pants. She could technically make the pants herself, but she knew Sam would do a much better job of it. She was patient enough to spend hours on an engine, but she couldn't sit still long enough to sew even the simplest stitches.

Their shopping excursion continued to the cobblers where new shoes were ordered for the ladies, and then for some decent food. Delbert didn't have enough food for his three guests, they were sure. He was far too scatterbrained to think that far ahead. And Alex was already planning on helping with the cooking and cleaning when she could. She'd be bored to tears otherwise.

Delbert's hired hands usually only came in once a week. The maid would clean the few rooms Delbert actually used, and the cook would pre-cook a number of meals and snacks so the man could simply reheat them when he was hungry. Usually the only real meals he got were his suppers at the Benboe Inn, but that was no longer an option. Between Alex and Sarah, the man would get a decent eating schedule in place before their fancy excursion.

When they got home, Sarah went off to find their host and Jim and Alex wandered to the stables to hitch up the Doctor's buggy. They were going to go by the Inn to see if there was anything they might be able to salvage.

On the way over, Alex finally brought up Treasure Planet once more. "What exactly is it?"

"It's the loot of a Thousand Worlds." Jim told her, flicking the reigns and steering Delilah past the town with ease. "You know about Captain Flint?"

"The greatest pirate ever? Who doesn't know about him?" Alex pointed out. Jim grinned back at her.

"Well, legend has it that he hid everything on the edge of the galaxy, on a forgotten planet. All the gold and jewels he stole, all in one place. There must be a fortune there!"

"As long as it's real." Alex said softly, making a face. "What if your Mom was right? What if it is just a story?"

"If it was just a story, then how come we found a map that leads right to it?" the boy pointed out. "Pirates were after that map, I'd bet my boots it's real."

"I'd advise against it, you only have one pair." She teased as they pulled up to a stop. For a moment, Alex was unsure as to why. They couldn't be there yet…could they?

It was then she noticed the black smear on the landscape beside the cliff. Delbert hadn't been exaggerating. There was nothing left of the Inn, even the ash had blown away in the wind. The only sign anything had ever been here was the long pier reaching out past the cliff's edge.

"Oh my…" she breathed in horror as she looked around. "I can't believe it."

"I know what you mean." Jim whispered. "I guess I wasn't sure I believed it before this…"

"Wait…the shed!" Alex exclaimed, hopping down from the buggy and running over the hill. There, half burned to ash, was the old shed. So much of it was metal that it had simply melted and twisted a bit rather than burning down entirely. The pirates hadn't bothered to fix their mistake.

A lot of the parts inside were broken though. It looked like their attackers had searched even this little outbuilding for their precious sphere. Her bike was still there, though it would take a lot of work before it would run again.

Alex sighed and shook her head as the thing was loaded into the back of the buggy, once again blinking away tears. "Let's go." She suggested, her voice still soft as if someone were listening to them. She felt wrong being here…not when her only home wasn't there anymore.

"Don't worry Alex." Jim promised, resting a hand on her arm and squeezing it comfortingly. "We'll get the treasure and rebuild it. Bigger and better than before. And we'll be able to hire more help, and you and Mom won't have to work so hard anymore. It'll be great."

Alex smiled at him but let it fade when he turned away to climb up into his seat. That would only happen if the legend was actually real. She admired Jim's utter belief…but at the same time had to wonder if it was wise. Such a risk was being taken over a map a stranger had given his life to protect.

Well…it wasn't in her hands anymore. But she did know one thing. She wouldn't be left behind for this little adventure. She had no doubt Jim still needed looking after.

Within the next few weeks, Delbert worked to prepare for their departure, doing most of the technical work neither Jim nor Alex particularly cared for. Neither knew what to look for when hiring a crew or a captain. And Delbert never thought enough about what supplies would be needed to keep everyone fed for the whole trip, so that's what the pair decided to work on.

But finally, between the four of them, they managed to get everything ready. It was time to leave. Jim and Alex each packed a bag, holding their clothes and few belongings, said a tearful goodbye to Sarah, and the trio took off to the Montressor Spaceport.

Being used to the tiny town she'd grown accustomed to, Alex felt very small and insignificant at the Spaceport. Jim seemed to be taking it all in stride, but Alex felt almost overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds. She'd never really been to such a large and crowded place like this before, even in her travels as a girl.

Jim was actually enjoying himself though. He laughed heartily as Delbert was pressured into buying a ridiculous looking space suit by a woman with two heads, and wasn't shy about asking directions of anyone they passed. He loved being somewhere new and exciting and was looking forward to this adventure.

The boy glanced at Alex, expecting to see the same excitement on her face, and noticed the nervous spark in her eyes. She was forcing herself to relax and not reveal her nerves, but her knuckles were pale she clutched the strap of her bag so tightly. Jim grinned and pried one of her hands free, holding it in his own. She offered him a grateful smile and relaxed a bit further, looking around with more interest.

In truth she was just as excited as Jim, but she was nervous about what they might be getting into and leaving her safe home. Sarah hadn't wanted her to go, and had argued long and hard about it. But for the first time in her life, Alex had put her foot down. Jim needed someone to look after him, and she was the best one for the job. Besides, after all the stories she'd heard about Treasure Planet over the last few days, she was excited to see if it was real herself.

Jim suddenly stopped, and Alex – who wasn't really watching where she was going – bumped into his shoulder. Delbert flipped open the round faceplate of his suit and smiled.

"Aha, here is our ship! The R.L.S. Legacy."

"Wow…" Alex breathed in awe. The ship was beautiful, easily the nicest she'd ever seen. It was smaller in size than some, but it was sleek and smooth and looked like it could survive anything. She was glad the Doctor had money enough for such a fine ship. Their voyage didn't feel nearly so terrifying with such a sturdy vessel to carry them.

Jim eagerly tugged her towards the gangplank, and this time Alex didn't hesitate to follow.

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Another shorter chapter..sorry about the varying lengths of these. Usually I write my chapters to be all the same length, but while rewriting, I'm not even putting in chapter breaks until I come to post them, lol. I figured it's better to end a little earlier at a good spot than try and cut off in the middle of things :P_

_Please please review and let me know what you think so far!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Delbert led the way up the gangplank, and Jim and Alex followed eagerly. Jim was too busy looking up into the rigging to notice where he was going, and since he'd let go of Alex's hand he bumped into…something. Alex wasn't entirely sure what the creature was, but it looked like a flubbery sea cucumber with tubes sticking out all over its body. The creature spun with a series of unpleasant noises, fleshy tentacles curling like fists in a boxing pose. Delbert stepped forward as quickly as Jim stepped back.

"Let me handle this Jim." The Doctor said, but Alex's worries fled as he started making the same type of noises back to the thing. Whoever it was seemed happy with Delbert's words and got out of their way. "I'm fluent in Flatula." Delbert told the teens in a smug voice. "Took two years of it in high school."

"Flatula…cool." Jim said softly, sounding rather impressed despite himself. Alex bit back a giggle at the entertaining language and followed the males across the deck. The next man they came across who wasn't busy was very large, with skin of what looked like stone. He looked very official in his red jacket and tricorn hat, but Alex had to shake her head when Delbert foolishly addressed him as the captain. The large man was quick to correct the doctor, saying that the captain was aloft.

Alex's blue eyes rose towards a sky of the same color, searching the rigging. She quickly caught sight of a small but extremely agile woman dashing this way and that through the rigging and the masts. She finally leapt from a dizzying height, flipping to land before them as if she hadn't just practically been flying. Alex could barely keep her mouth from hanging open.

"Mr. Arrow," she stated in a harsh voice, "I have checked this miserable vessel from stem to stern, and as usual," her voice softened considerably. "It's spot on. Can you do nothing wrong?"

"You flatter me, ma'am." Mr. Arrow said jovially, his slit of a mouth lifting into a smile. The captain winked at him and turned to Delbert with an amused glance.

"Ah, Dr. Doppler I presume." She said, her voice a bit louder than before. Alex bit her lips together at the comical sight. Delbert looked even more ridiculous beside the captain in her perfectly fitted blue jacket and with every hair in place.

"Er, yes-" Delbert said hesitantly, scrambling for words. The captain misunderstood, though Alex suspected it was on purpose. She knocked on the helmet of the strange yellow space suit and spoke even louder.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" she asked, a hint of a smirk on her features. Alex was having a difficult timing hiding her laughter by now.

"Of course I can, stop that banging!" the Doctor protested, but the captain continued.

"You know Doctor, this works so much better when it's right way up and plugged in." the cat-like woman said, twisting parts and pulling plugs on the suit, making Alex burst into giggles. The girl could have sworn she saw the captain send a conspiratorial wink her way.

Delbert pulled off his helmet, wanting to be heard properly. "If you don't mind, I can manage my own plugging!" He shot a look in Alex's direction, and the girl stifled her giggles behind a hand. Jim elbowing her only set her off again.

"I am Captain Amelia, late of a few run-ins with the Protean Armada. Nasty business, but I won't bore you with my scars." The captain spoke so fast that one's attention had to be riveted on her in order to catch everything. She was so witty and eloquent, Delbert's stumbling speech was comical. "You've met my first officer, Mr. Arrow. Sterling, tough, dependable, brave and true."

"Please Captain." Mr. Arrow insisted, sounding rather flattered.

"Oh shut up Arrow, you know I don't mean a word of it." Amelia said fondly. Alex was quickly figuring out that this was a woman of many words. And she meant all of them until she denied them entirely. Delbert cleared his throat.

"I hate to interrupt this…lovely banter," he said, though his tone clearly stated otherwise. "But my I introduce Jim Hawkins and Alexandra Valentine. Jim you see is the one who found the treasu-" The captain darted forward and grabbed Delbert's jaw so quickly that Alex had barely seen it.

"Doctor, please." She looked around with narrowed eyes, and Alex followed her gaze to some of the loitering crew. They glared at the group and hurried to continue their tasks. Alex had to frown slightly. They seemed…darker than the crew she'd been expecting. "I'd like a word with you in my state room." Amelia said, leading the others a short distance to a solid looking door leading right off of the rear deck.

Once inside with the door carefully locked, the Captain used many words to describe a very simple concept. She didn't trust the crew. She entreated them all with the task of not mentioning the map again unless they were positive they wouldn't be overheard. Then, she took the mysterious spherical map and locked it away in a cupboard.

"Now then…Mr. Hawkins, Miss Valentine? In the future you are to refer to me as 'Captain' or 'ma'am', is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am." Alex said without hesitation. She was used to referring to others in this fashion anyway, it was a habit Sarah had been unable to break. Jim on the other hand was going to be stubborn, she knew it. He only rolled his eyes and she hid a sigh.

"Mr. Hawkins?" the captain repeated.

"Yes ma'am." Jim said with sarcastic conviction. Alex glared at him for a moment. He didn't have to be so difficult about it…

"That'll do." She turned to Delbert. "And once again Doctor, with the greatest possible respect… Zip your howling screamer." The doctor was at a loss for words, but that didn't stop him from stumbling over a few attempts. The felid would have none of it however. "Let me make this as…monosyllabic as possible. I don't much trust this crew _you_ hired. They are…how did I describe them Arrow? I said something rather good this morning before coffee."

""A ludicrous parcel of driveling galoots", ma'am." The first officer replied, not missing a beat.

"There you go. Poetry."

"Now see here-" Delbert tried to exclaim, only to be interrupted.

"Doctor, I'd love to chat – tea, cake, the whole shebang – but I have a ship to launch and you have your outfit to buff up." Amelia teased before standing tall once more. "Mr. Arrow, please escort these neophytes down to the ship's galley straightaway. The young Mr. Hawkins and Miss Valentine will be working for our cook, Mr. Silver."

Jim looked surprised and almost outraged at this new light on his voyage, but Alex hadn't been expecting anything less. If the Captain didn't even want the crew knowing where they were going, then it didn't make sense to have the teens on board unless they were working. She let the males complain about the over-bearing feline as they made their way down to the galley, only to shake her head in amusement as Mr. Arrow scolded them. Personally, Alex liked the Captain. She had an entertaining personality, yet could keep her serious demeanor for when she needed it. Alex couldn't help but like that she would always know her place on this ship. It made things much easier.

Now all she had to do was meet the cook, and learn just what sorts of duties she and Jim would be doing. Maybe she could even sneak off to watch the launch. She was never one to shirk her duties…but the launching of a ship this wonderful was too exciting to miss.

"Mr. Silver?" Arrow called as they reached the bottom of the galley steps. Alex's blue eyes squinted as she peered through the steam that was filling the room. Someone needed to open the vents… Finally she spotted the large shadow of a person at the counter. He was a large man, rough of clothing and speech, but he seemed likable enough. Hopefully he wouldn't run her and Jim too hard.

"Why Mr. Arrow, bringing such fine and distinguished quests to grace my 'umble galley. Had I known, I'd 'ave tucked in me shirt." Silver said in a smooth voice, turning from the counter. Alex's eyes were drawn right to the man's right arm, then down to his right leg, and finally up to his eye. Each had been replaced with some incredible machinery. He was a cyborg. The girl swallowed slightly, remembering the cryptic message Billy Bones had whispered before the attack on the inn. 'Beware the cyborg.'

Had Bones meant this cyborg? John Silver didn't seem to be very pirate like…he was a cook for one thing, and had a way with words. Alex had no doubt that he must have been quite a ladies' man in his younger days, he was an excellent sweet talker. But then…Alex knew how appearances could be deceiving.

As the cook and Doctor were introduced and Delbert's outfit made fun of, Alex glanced at Jim. He sported a suspicious frown of his own, and his eyebrows were drawn close together. A sure sign he was running through the same thoughts she was.

She squeaked softly when Delbert suddenly grabbed her and Jim, thrusting them forward under the scrutiny of Silver's mechanical eye. As the doctor introduced them, Silver grinned and thrust forward his mechanical arm to shake hands. He'd teasingly held out the end with the many sharp and pointy tools, chuckling and spinning it around to the hand when neither teen reacted well.

"It's alright, keep yer hair on." The man teased. "Me arm is very useful you see, especially with a job like mine." He turned and strode to the counter, and Alex had to admit he was right. Various built in knives and claws and hooks meant that he could do the job of three men at once, chopping, mixing and cooking in the space of mere seconds. The girl found herself doubting the man would be needing much help in the kitchens at all.

Finally, Silver dumped his last ingredients into the large pot in the center of the room, tasting it with a happy sigh. He quickly spooned some into a trio of bowls and brought them over, dropping a spoon in each.

"'Ere, 'ave a taste of me famous bonzabeast stew." He offered, acting more like a fancy chef than a rough man in a stained apron. Alex sniffed at the stew curiously, smiling slightly as the meaty scent. She watched as both Delbert and Jim tasted it and found it tasty, before Silver winked at her. "Go on Alexandra, 'ave a swig."

Alex obeyed and lifted the spoon from the bowl. She was about to stick it in her mouth when the cool metal trembled and then…wiggled? The head of the spoon suddenly transformed into a squashy pink face, which munched and swallowed the bit of stew she'd about to eat.

"Hey!" she exclaimed as the blog finished transforming into its pink gelatinous form.

"Morph! You jiggle-headed blog of mischief, so that's where you was 'iding!" Silver exclaimed. Morph ignored him, transforming into a straw and plunging once more into the stew, slurping up every last drop. He finally half flopped against the side of Alex's bowl, giving a tiny adorable burp. Only a second later, he was floating up from his perch and before her face, inspecting her as she inspected him. She giggled when he rubbed against her cheek in happiness. He felt smooth and cool, like a blob of water that had decided it didn't care about gravity anymore.

"What are you?" she asked the creature, grinning as he imitated her question in a high pitched squeak and flew happily around her head. Tiny pieces of its body were constantly pulling apart from its body and being sucked in again…but it was so cute!

"He's a morph." Silver told her as she lifted a finger. Morph spun and perched on her outstretched finger, now a miniature version of herself. Everything from the purple skirt to the piece of hair that had fallen before her eyes since Sarah had pinned it up that morning. "I rescued the little shape-shifter off Proteous One." Morph grinned and changed back into his normal blob, licking Alex's face before he went over to Silver. He plopped against the man's cheek, drooping happily through his fingers. "He took a shine to me; we've been together ever since. Right? Nice boy…"

His voice trailed off as he turned away, and Alex had to smile. If Morph liked Silver so much, he had to be a pretty decent guy, right? She lifted her eyes from the cook's back and towards the stairs when a bell clanged on deck.

"We're about to get underway." Arrow said from where he stood by the stairs. Alex had forgotten he was there. "Would you like to watch the launch Doctor?"

"Would I? Does an active galactic nucleus have super luminal jets?" Delbert pointed out in excitement. Alex noted the blank look on the First Mate's face and grinned.

"That means yes." She whispered, making the rock man smile and Delbert look sheepish.

"I'll follow you." He said to Mr. Arrow, only to clank up the stairs before the officer. Alex giggled at the absent minded man as Jim went to follow him, finding himself blocked by Mr. Arrow's large stone hand.

"Mr. Hawkins and Miss Valentine will stay here, and will be under your charge, Silver." Silver, who had just taken a sip of his stew once more, spit it out in surprise.

"Beggin' yer pardon, sir-"

"Captain's orders. You are to see that the new cabin boy and kitchen maid be kept busy." Arrow went on, hands behind his back before he spun smartly and clomped up the stairs to the deck. Jim and Silver both complained until he was out of sight, though Alex didn't know why. What else had they been expecting? She raised an eyebrow at the boys, the other lifting to join it as they exasperatedly rubbed their eyes the same way. As the males started to circle each other, she took a step back, bumping the wall. They were like a pair of caged Tigrons, just waiting to pounce. Morph didn't seem to like the tension any more than she did, and floated over to perch on her shoulder. She absently mindedly reached up to pet the blob, keeping her eyes on her best friend and her new boss.

"So," Silver finally began. "Captain's left you with me."

"Whatever." Jim said with a shrug. If Alex hadn't known better, it sounded as if he couldn't give a care. But she did know him better. She could see the spark of suspicion in his eyes even from over here.

"Who be a humble cyborg to argue with a Captain?" Silver went on. Jim rubbed his chin thoughtfully, eying a large barrel of fruit. He started talking about purps and Montressor and Alex had to hold back a groan. Jim, idiot that he was, was trying to get a reaction from the larger man. A reaction that would prove he was the cyborg Billy Bones had mentioned with his dying breath. Alex thought he was being a tad silly to jump to conclusions so fast. Besides, wasn't she usually the paranoid one?

Instead of listen to the boy make a fool of himself, she turned to inspect the place she'd be working for the upcoming months. The galley was a well stocked place, barrels of foods filling the corners and pots and pans hung within reach over the counters. There was plenty of counter space too, created for making very large meals rather than small ones. Purps and biscuits were everywhere for those who needed a snack to tide them over in the hours between meals.

She pushed away from the wall to inspect the workspace more closely, smiling at the quality and variety of the cookware. As long as she had the right ingredients, she could come up with some great foods to try and make. She also found a small door tucked away in a shadowy corner and opened it to find a ladder leading down. Pale blue eyes strained to see in the darkness, finally making out the shapes of more barrels and boxes. She suspected it was a storage room for extra food. They needed enough to last a very long trip after all.

She had just shut the door when a whistle was blown on deck. Her head shot upwards in excitement. The launch!

"Ah off with you both to watch the launch." Silver said, shooing them out of the kitchen. "There'll be plenty of work for ye when ye get back." Alex didn't doubt it, but right now, she was too focused on the beginning adventure to care about the upcoming workload.

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_I'm so sorry this took so long to get up everyone, hasn't let me log in for days. I couldn't even reply to reviews! Which saddens me a great deal, I do love talking with all of my lovely readers XD I'm going to finally go answer those, and I hope to get some new reviews as well! Be sure to send me one and let me know what you think so far!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Alex glanced at Jim and beamed, racing past him and up onto the deck. She didn't know if she could pick a single favorite part of flying in a ship, but the launch had to be high on the list. She hadn't experienced one herself since before she'd come to the Benboe Inn!

Jim was right behind her, even more excited than she was seeing as he'd never traveled off world before. Along with his curiosity and efforts to see everything at once came the fact that he seemed to be in everyone's way. Alex giggled and grabbed his arm, pulling him to the rail where he'd be out of the way.

"Hey Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"When we first got on the ship, you knew Arrow wasn't the captain, didn't you? How'd you know?"

Alex shrugged. "This isn't my first space voyage remember." She pointed out. "The first mate wears red because it's a sign of authority and it stands out. The captain on the other hand wears blue because it's still bright and easily noticed, but not as harsh. It symbolizes their quiet command, seeing as the First Mate does all the bellowing of their orders."

Jim shot a glance at her, his blue eyes holding slight surprise. "I didn't know you knew that much about ships." He said as he went back to watching the preparations. Alex smiled again, even if he wasn't looking.

"I'm not _that_ easy to figure out, Mr. Hawkins." She teased. "Would you like to know what's going on a little more?"

"Dumb Question, Al." Jim teased right back. Alex had to giggle and take his arm again, dragging him forward to the bow of the ship. No one was working up here, and they could see the entire ship with a glance.

"Up there they're untying the sails." She pointed up where a few crew members clambered about in the rigging. "Solar sails are very fragile as you know, and when they're this large they can tear very easily. It's safer to keep them tired up when they aren't needed to power the ship. Once they're untied, then people down here on deck can pull them open."

Alex continued her explanations, finally biting back a smile when the gangplank was pulled away from the side of the ship and the various ropes holding it in place were untied. Slowly, the freed ship started to rise into the air, pulling away from the Montressor spaceport and it's gravitational field.

They were finally on their way, she could hardly believe it! All these weeks of planning and they were finally starting their journey.

Jim couldn't stop the gasp from escaping his throat as his feet suddenly lifted from the deck. His arms flailed a bit as he fought to keep himself upright. He glanced over to see than Alex was perfectly fine, her arms held out on either side to keep her steady, but her feet somehow staying beneath her. She giggled at him and he sent her a teasing glare before he managed to get himself in a somewhat vertical position. It was the strangest feeling…being weightless. There was literally nothing holding him down, he felt almost as if he were underwater.

At an order from the captain, a wave of flight swept across the polished deck and the gravity was restored. Jim fell instantly and managed to catch himself kneeling on knee, while Alex landed lightly on her feet, only wobbling the smallest bit as she did so.

She didn't point out his clumsiness – likely out of respect for his pride – instead pointing up at the sails. The limp solar cell lined cloth was reaching sunlight, and one by one they expanded to their greatest possible size in order to capture as much light as they could.

"You see those windows in the mast?" Alex asked him, pointing to the largest mast of the ship. Jim nodded, watching as they lit up one by one, the glow heading downwards. "Those show the captured energy as it gets transferred to the engine room below. Some of it will automatically go into batteries for storage, in case we're ever too distant from a sun to collect more. But the rest goes right into the engine. A crew member down there has to wait for the power cells to fill before we can blast off. And, if I know anything about mechanics, we do love to literally blast off." She added with a laugh.

Behind the mast she heard Mr. Arrow shout 'take her away', and she warned Jim to brace himself. He wasn't sure he should believe her until she reached out and grabbed one of the many ropes leading from the ships railing up to the foremast, hanging on tight. He quickly reached out and grabbed the rope opposite hers, and just in the nick of time. The ship rumbled for a single moment, before exploding off toward the heavens. Jim was glad he'd taken Alex's advice, he may have gone flying without it. He glanced over to see a happy smile fixed to her face, her skirts flapping around her legs and her dark brown curls falling from the tight updo his mother had done earlier. And honestly, he had to admit she looked really pretty like this. He didn't think he'd ever seen her look this content except when she was flying about on her solar bike.

Alex turned and grinned at him, before she dashed forward to the front most point of the railing. Jim was already climbing into the rigging on the side of the ship, looking around in wonder at the incredible sights. Now that they were out of the atmosphere, he'd expected everything to look like the inky black night sky, filled with pinpricks of light from the stars. But instead, a single glance into the distance showed him more shades of dark blue and purple than he'd known even existed! Visitors had praised the clarity of the stars on Montressor, but they were nothing compared to this. He felt almost as if he could reach out and grab a handful of them, plucking them like diamonds right out of the sky.

He glanced over at Alex again and was surprised to see that she was hitching her skirts out of the way and climbing out onto the large pole which stuck out on the front of the bow. She hung onto a rope on either side of her, heedless of the never ending drop on either side of her perch. It looked to Jim like she'd lived all her life on voyages like this one, and then had to wonder if maybe she had. Even after all these years, Alex had never confided much about her past, though he knew her almost better than he knew himself. She'd only divulged that her parents were 'gone' and that she'd traveled off planet more than once before this.

Well, that was one good thing about the weeks of nothingness between them and their destination. He'd have plenty of time to start asking her about her life before she'd arrived on Montressor.

Alex was entirely unaware that her best friend's thoughts were focused on her, too busy absorbing the feelings coursing through her. She'd forgotten how much she loved the cool winds in her hair, or the tug on her clothing. She'd missed this, she realized with a start. She'd missed the feeling of being free from real gravity, and the worries of being planetside. There was a lot from her past she didn't miss, but she'd never really stopped dreaming of the feeling of flying through space like this.

Pale blue eyes reflected starlight as she watched a pod of Dragoria swim past, many of them as big as the ship and larger! They were named as such because the first sailors to explore space had called them the Dragons of the Sea because of their incredible songs. It sounded so much like singing that the sailors had thought of the dragon myths in which a dragon would charm their prey with songs before catching them in their traps. Looking at them now, Alex laughed to think that the large beasts were named after dragons at all. They were incredibly graceful in the void outside of the ship's atmosphere, but they lacked the toned bodies, wings and bright scales of the mythological creatures.

"Jimbo!" Alex turned to see Silver standing half a deck behind them, holding a mop in one hand and a bucket in the other. Most of the crew had gone elsewhere already, leaving the deck free of almost everybody. Silver tossed the mop and bucket to Jim, who caught them both ease though he looked anything but pleased. Alex hopped back down to the deck in time for Silver to turn to her and order her to join him down in the galley once again. She sent a little wave to Jim, a little jealous that he'd be able to work out here under the stars.

As soon as she'd reached the galley floor Silver shoved a pad of paper into her hands and told her to take notes. He started giving her instructions for the meal he had planned for supper, but Alex stopped him before he'd gotten a third of the way through.

"Excuse me…sir?"

"Yes lassie?"

"I know how to make this already." She told him. He sent her a surprised look.

"You know how to properly cook Grangan? That's not a dish native t' Montressor is it?"

"No sir." Alex quickly told him. "But I worked at an Inn. We made all sorts of foods because we had visitors from all over."

"Oh. Well in that case, do you know the spicy version?"

The right corner of Alex's lips lifted into a crooked smile. "And it's explosive results, yes."

Silver grinned down at her. "In that case, we'll be makin' both. No one will complain about a little variety, I don't think." He told her in his rough accent before setting her to work.

A little while later, Silver ordered her to take the large pot of discarded organs and other scraps and dump it over the side of the ship. She nodded and wiped her greasy hands on her apron before grabbing the heavy pot, carefully carrying it up the stairs. She reached the top and glanced around, wondering how her friend was doing. Instead of a diligently working boy, she saw Jim talking with a large spider-like creature. Well, back-talking, knowing Jim. Alex could tell from the defiant look on his face. With no warning, the insect creature grabbed Jim by the front of his shirt and lifted him into the air.

"Maybe your ears don't work so well." The spider thing said, in a deep gravelly voice. Jim waved a hand in front of his face, apparently heedless of the position he was in.

"Yeah, too bad my nose works just fine." Alex wanted to groan at his insolence, these people didn't look friendly in the least! How could Jim be so worried about jolly John Silver and yet not seem to care about the rest of this creepy crew?

As the spider thing pushed Jim against the mast, the pot finally slipped from her fingers. She let it clank to the deck as she dashed forward, wondering what she could possibly do to help.

"Stop it! Put him down!" she called out, only to be ignored by everyone in the small crowd that had gathered. She shoved her way past them, but someone grabbed her forearms, holding her out of the way. "Jim!"

"Any last words, Cabin Boy?" the spider asked in a snide voice, making Alex struggle even harder. This could _not_ be happening! Only their first day here and Jim had already managed to anger someone enough to cause them to make death threats. Only Jim knew how to rile people up so quickly…

The insect creature had lifted a sharp claw to Jim's throat before Silver appeared from below deck. He calmly waded through the small crowd and grabbed the spider's claw with his cyborg arm, pulling it away from Jim's throat. All along he munched on a purp, as if this was a casual event in his eyes.

"Mr. Scroop, do ye know what happens to a fresh purp when you squeeze real hard?" As he finished his question, Silver twisted and squeezed Scroop's red claw, making him gasp in pain and drop Jim. Alex yanked her arms free and hurried forward, pulling him to his feet and out of the way. As she did so, Mr. Arrow came down from the helm, scolding them all reminding them that brawling wasn't allowed on the Legacy. The crowd disappeared as quickly as it had gathered, leaving Alex, Jim and Silver.

"You idiot." She hissed in Jim's ear. "We've only been on board for a few hours, and you're already getting me in trouble!" Jim huffed in reply, too angry for words. Silver didn't have that problem.

"Alexandra, I gave you a job to do." He growled. "Get to it, now!"

Alex jumped a bit, which Jim only noticed because she was standing that close to him, and hurried over. She quickly shoveled the spilt scraps of food back into the large pot, and Jim's anger turned on Silver. Alex was nervous enough around strangers, and the cook wasn't helping.

"Don't talk to her that way!" he said in a raised voice, trying to defend the girl. He was rewarded with a small smile as Alex dumped the scraps over the railing. Silver however just glared. "She had nothing to do with it, she was just trying to help." Jim went on.

"Belay that!" the cyborg shouted. He turned to Alex, who was about to reach the stairs. "You better have that meal finished perfectly in two hours, and heaven 'elp me if it's not done when I check on ya!" Alex's blue eyes widened as she nodded quickly. "Morph," Silver said to the blog hovering over his shoulder. "Keep an eye on the maid, and let me know if there be any more distractions."

Morph nodded and zoomed over to her, his eyes widening until they made up most of his body, following her down the stairs to the kitchens. As she went out of sight she heard Silver scolding Jim about his own job, threatening to watch until the dock was spotless.

She sincerely hoped this wasn't an omen about the rest of the trip…

Alex's foot hit the last stair on the way to the galley and she looked up, only to see what looked like the entire crew sitting at the tables. And they were all glaring at her. She swallowed her fear as best she could and spoke up.

"I'm afraid supper won't ready for a few hours yet…if that's what you're here for." Her voice had started out at a normal volume, but had trailed away by the end of the sentence. Silver came down behind her and nudged her towards the kitchens.

"They're likely just hungry after the launch." The cook said in a deceptively soothing voice. After the way he'd just yelled at her, Alex didn't trust it. "Why don't you get to cookin' and I'll hand out somethin' to tide them over in the meantime, eh?"

Alex nodded and hurried down the center aisle of the eating area, eager to hide in the relative safety of the kitchen. On the other hand, she had a feeling Silver was doing more than just handing out purps. If she didn't listen in, Jim would probably disown her from his friendship.

She shuffled around a bit, implying that she was working, before she tiptoed back to the door, peering through the tiny crack left between the door and its frame. Silver was standing in the center of the room, a large, frightening silhouette.

"So we're all here then." He stated quietly. Alex noticed that the crew looked almost afraid of him, and she couldn't really blame them. Silver's voice was soft, almost comforting. It was more frightening than if he'd shouted. "If you'll pardon my plain speaking gentlemen…" he went on, playing with the tentacles of one of the crew members, "Are you all…" he brought up his cyborg arm, the mechanical hand spinning to become a sword instead. "Stark-raving blinking daft?" He was shouting now, his sword swinging around wildly.

Alex decided she must have been wrong about her observation of his quiet scary voice. This was much worse. She'd managed to jump at his actions, bumping the large pot she'd set beside the door. She quickly spun to settle it before Silver could come and investigate, finally turning back to the crack in the door. She was upset to find that she'd missed part of the conversation.

"The boy was sniffing about." Scroop said in his rough voice, greasy hair swinging before yellow eyes. "And I don't trust the girl to be as meek as she seems either."

"You just stick to the plan, you bug-brained twit." Silver growled at him. "As for the kids, I'll run 'em so ragged they won't 'ave time to think."

It seemed that was the end of the meeting, and Silver ordered them all to keep their mouths shut and get back to work. Alex took her cue and scrambled back to the cupboard, back to the pile of vegetables she'd been cutting before this whole mess had started. She'd had plenty of practice at this sort of sneaking around back home, thanks to the many times she and Jim and gone off flying in the canyons. Thankfully Silver didn't seem to notice a thing when he came in to check on her, mentioning handing out some purps to the hungry crew members. Thankfully, he left soon after to dump another bucket of slops and to check up on Jim.

Alex was frightened and gladly set down the sharp knife so she could properly tremble. She didn't know what Silver's 'plan' was, but it was clear it wasn't anything good. She wished she hadn't missed that snippet of conversation, she could have learned so much more! All she knew was that the kind face Silver had shown to her when they'd met was a mask. The man couldn't be trusted, Jim had been right. Even if he wasn't the same cyborg Billy Bones had mentioned, he was not a man she wanted to make angry.

She finally took a deep breath and shoved the nervousness away, picking up her knife to get back to work. She needed to keep at it if she wanted to get this all done in two hours like Silver had demanded. It wasn't exactly fair, seeing as he'd left her to do it all by herself.

She glanced up as Morph circled her head for the dozenth time, his eyes still abnormally large. She couldn't help but smile at the ridiculous picture he made.

"Well this had been a wonderful day, hasn't it?" she asked the pink blob as she started to carefully peel the layers of the grangan meat. Once separated, every second layer needed to be set in their own dish. Once they touched again, the spicy taste would start to grow and grow. Only right before being served would they be put back together again. It was common for those eating the meat to see who could last the longest and still be able to withstand the intense spiciness and finish the meal.

"We met new people, and made new friends…" Alex went on as she worked. "Like that spider psycho." Morph giggled and transformed into a miniature Scroop, claws held high as he repeated the phrase a few times. Alex giggled at him and shook her head. "A little uglier." Morph eagerly rose to the challenge, giving the figure an abnormally large head and crazy eyes, laughing evilly in his high pitched voice.

"Pretty close." Alex admitted with a laugh as she shoved the Scroop out of her face. He popped back into Morph's regular blob form, the pink mischief maker giggling happily and perching on a nearby hanging pot to watch her cook. "Once I manage to get a little free time, I'm going to need to warn Jim about the little plot that's going on here." She said to the blog. "This trip might be a little more exciting than we were bargaining for."

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Oy, I am so sorry I've been so slow lately on this everyone! Life got insane for a while there, i haven't gotten much of anything done. Not only posting chapters, but also working on this story at all. I still have one or two extra chapters typed up, but beyond that I have nothing. I'll really need to work on that when I manage to find the time. I blame classes! I don't have any tests this semester, just papers. Including my finals ._

_Ah well, I'll find time. Reviews will inspire me, so tell me what you thought of this chapter!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Alex hadn't taken into account that Silver had been serious when he told the crew he'd run them ragged. Between the many jobs given to Alex and Jim, neither had time for a quick conversation, let alone the longer one they would need. Silver practically had them on opposite schedules. When Alex was working, Jim would be catching up on sleep from being on watch the night before. When Jim was swabbing the deck, Alex would be trapped in the galley, slaving over the next meal.

Alex had never had so much work in her life. She was always preparing meals, cooking, cleaning, washing never ending dishes… The crew seemed just as determined to keep her busy, often dirtying more dishes than necessary or hiding them away and only returning them when the food had cemented to the ceramics. Alex was always kept up late with work, forced to fall asleep from exhaustion only to be woken early for more work only a few hours later. The busiest days at the Benboe Inn seemed like a daily occurrence here on the Legacy.

Over time though, Alex noticed that Jim's jobs were changing. Silver gladly piled more of his duties onto her so he could keep an eye on Jim. She overheard him explaining to his crew more then once that he didn't trust the boy, but it didn't look like that to her. Eventually, Silver wasn't just giving orders, he was teaching Jim all sorts of skills. He was slipping into the role Jim's real father had left empty when he'd left.

And Alex hated it. She knew Silver couldn't be trusted, she'd assumed Jim did too. But as the weeks went by, she knew that was no longer the case. She was also jealous, as much as she hated to admit it. When Jim did have free time - which he did more than her - he would spend it with Silver and the crew, never coming to visit her.

She didn't know it was possible to miss someone so much. Not when she saw them on a daily basis. But seeing him wasn't the same…and he only seemed to be pulling further and further away.

Alex's eighteenth birthday came and went without anyone knowing. Alex hoped that maybe Jim would remember, but he never did. That hurt her more than anything, he'd never forgotten it before. It was harsh blow from her best friend. It seemed he was starting to forget all about her.

Jim simply got closer to Silver. He admired the man, and Alex was upset to learn that Jim was opening up Silver more than he had to her in over a year.

After one particular long and difficult day, Alex had just finished washing the last of the dishes from supper. She sighed happily and wiped her hands on her apron, rubbing her eyes. She was going to sleep even better tonight than she usually did, she was sure. She returned to the galley to find Silver telling a story to the crew, using his cyborg arm to create shadow pictures on the wall. Jim sat on a crate in the corner, sitting comfortably on a box with a mug of cider in his hand.

Alex hovered in the doorway for a moment, tied between wanting to talk to him and not. He'd ignored her entirely for days now, she almost felt he didn't deserve her attention either. But no…she still needed to warn him about Silver.

She was just about to step forward when Scroop appeared before her, an armload of dishes in his arms. "Found a few things beneath the hammocks in the crew's quarters." He said, his snide voice as rough as ever. "I thought I'd be helpful and bring them to you."

Alex wanted to cry. She'd spent the last hour doing dishes, she didn't want to start over! Despite that she nodded, eyes on the floor. "I appreciate it." She lied through her teeth, too meek to even let the sarcasm filter through.

"I thought you might." He clicked past her, dumped the dishes beside the large tub, and went right back out to take a seat to listen to Silver's story. Alex sighed and sent one last wayward glance at Jim, before turning to get started on the new dishes.

Just when she was finishing with those, Silver himself came in with an armload of pots, pans and plates, all needing to be scrubbed. She glared after him as he left her to her work, groaning as she glanced at the new pile. Some of these hadn't been used for days, she _knew_ he'd been hiding things away to keep her busy later. She tackled the grime with a vengeance though, determined to prove that she wasn't about to give up. And as she finally finished with the final pot, she had to smile. It was interrupted by a yawn and she yanked her head upright as it drifted forward. She was so tired…she just needed to close her eyes for a moment. She leaned forward and rested her forehead on a cool metal of the clean pot, and drifted off right where she sat.

Silver was beginning to feel bad for everything he was doing to the poor kitchen maid, though he'd never admit that to the crew. He was stealing her only friend and replacing him with dirty dishes. Alexandra didn't get along with the crew very well, too shy to stand up to them even when it came to teasing and jokes. At least Jim wasn't afraid to give as good as he got. He'd seen the girl's eyes fill with tears as she tackled the huge pile of dishes he'd placed in front of her, but he never once saw her shed a tear.

A few hours later, he gave in to his guilt long enough to go and check on her. He entered the kitchen and looked around in slight awe. The counters were covered with sparkling clean dishes, and the lass had actually fallen asleep on the pot in her lap. He glanced at Morph – hovering over his shoulder – with a sheepish smile. Well…at least everyone had gone to sleep by now, no one would know… He saw the slight goose bumps on Alex's arms and nodded to himself, shedding his jacket and draping it across her shoulders. Maybe should start giving her more breaks… She was too thin and he didn't actually want to work the poor thing to death.

When Alex woke a little later, she shifted and something slid from her shoulders to the floor. She groaned – sleeping as she had been wasn't exactly comfortable – and set the pot on the floor, turning to see Silver's jacket. She lifted it from the floor with a frown, wondering what game he was playing now… He didn't mind working her to the bone, why would he bother doing a kindness such as this? She didn't trust it, but even so she folded the jacket neatly before sliding it under his hammock.

In the upcoming days, she was delighted to see a small change in her workload. Silver didn't pile as many duties onto her plate, and allowed her time to rest between jobs. She even had time to sit and listen to his nightly stories. Maybe he'd talked to the crew as well, because the number of dishes dwindled to a more regular amount.

Despite her extra time, she didn't make an effort to talk to Jim. She still wasn't sure how angry she really was with him, and decided to just avoid any possible confrontation altogether. If he wanted to talk, she'd be here, but she wasn't about to make an effort. Thankfully she now had Morph. The pink blog had kept her spirits up when everything had seemed too much, and she was always grateful for his company during her lonely breaks. They'd become fast friends, and the shapeshifter was spending more time with her than with Silver these days.

Still, every night as Alex drifted off to sleep, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to make this exciting adventure turn into the nightmare it had become.

Alex climbed up from the gallery for a break in the fresh air, and watched with a sigh as Jim and Silver's lifeboat flew off. Silver was supposedly going to teach Jim to fly it…like Jim needed any help. Put the boy in front of a joystick and he could fly any vehicle between your teeth. Still, the outing would be fun, Alex would have liked to have gone. Grumbling to herself would have to wait though, she had work to do. Apparently, some of the crew had gotten a hold of some of the captain's finest ale, and had had a little party below decks by the engine. The mess was disgusting, and the task to clean it up had been passed down to her. No surprises there.

Armed with rubber gloves up to her elbows and a bucket of scalding soap water, she made her way down to the engine room and toward the particularly fowl smelling corner. Morph turned green as she walked nearer and Alex had to agree.

"I will never ever drink." She said with feeling, yanking a handkerchief from a pocket and tying it around her face. It was better than nothing. How drunk had they gotten?

Oh well, no matter now. She started by pouring some of the hot water over the various messes and using the mop started to scrub. Rather than rinse it in her clean water, she wrung the mop out by sticking the thing through the open lifeboat hatch and giving it a good shake. The rest of the sudsy mess was simply pushed towards the same hatch and dumped into the abyss. A few more scrubbings and a ton of soap later, the smell was mostly gone.

Alex had to admit to dawdling though. As bad as the smell had been, it was better than being around the crew themselves. It was horrible that she preferred the vomit to the people it belonged to, but she couldn't help it. As if they didn't set her on edge enough by just being their creepy selves, they still seemed to dislike her more than anyone on the ship. Needless to say, their animosity wasn't something she enjoyed dealing with on a daily basis.

Once she was done cleaning, she decided to just stay down here a little longer. Not with the now clean corner though…with the engine.

Ever the mechanic, Alex loved engines of all shapes and sizes, and had never passed up an opportunity to inspect one up close. She was especially a fan of the engine here on the R.L.S. Legacy. It was an engineering marvel in her eyes, even though she knew this must not even be the latest technology. Being used to the scraps she could force to fit together though, she was practically in love.

She didn't even realize she'd been exploring so long when she heard the longboat draw near. Alex shot to her feet and looked over to where the boys were pulling the longboat into place, and panicked. Rather than run to the stairs, she dove behind a large pile of boxes and held her breath. She'd just…wait until they'd both left, it shouldn't take long.

Apparently she was wrong, because both of the males took a seat in the gently swinging longboat once it was all tied up. Alex silently cursed herself over and over as they started talking. She hated eavesdropping like this! Even more with the subject matter. Jim talked of making people see him as more than the loser he'd been at home, and Silver talked about sacrificing something for his dreams.

She gently thumped her head against a box, hating herself. She should have just left. Then she wouldn't feel bad for Silver. She didn't _want_ to feel sorry for him, he was the bad guy! For all she knew, he deserved what he'd gotten.

Maybe she should sneak out now…they were facing the other direction, right? She ever so slowly peered around the side of the box…only to go tumbling head over heels when something slammed into the ship hard enough to knock the gravity control off kilter for a second.

"Alex?" she heard Jim exclaim, his voice laced with surprise and slight accusation. She winced but hurried to her feet. She'd worry about Jim later, she wanted to know what had hit them! Without waiting for him to say another word, she was spinning and running for the stairs up to the deck.

She arrived to find chaos. The very sky was blood red, and the crew was scrambling to try and figure out what had happened. Alex glanced over, pale blue eyes wide as she spotted the cause of the jarring a moment ago. A star had just exploded, and it had been far too close for comfort. Still, she couldn't blame anyone, it was impossible to predict when a star would fizzle out.

Only…this star wasn't fizzling…it was going supernova. Fear coursed through her veins at the very thought. She knew the odds of surviving a nearby supernova. They weren't good. Mr. Arrow shouted for everyone to secure their lifelines, and Alex scrambled to do so. The sails had to be secured next, and she didn't fancy climbing about in the rigging without something to catch her if she slipped. Still, as she ran for the foremast, she had to admit that a single rope around her waist didn't offer a whole lot of comfort. It felt all too flimsy in the buffering winds.

Alex was glad when the sail was all tied up, and happily moved back to the relatively safe deck. She landed on the polished wood only to pitch sideways as another rock hit the side of the ship.

"Alex, come on!" The girl turned to see Jim waving for her to join him at the bow of the ship, pointing at the single sail out there. She shuddered at the very idea of climbing out on the bowspit in this storm, but she knew it had to be done. And honestly, she was one of the best ones for the job. Even Captain Amelia had said she was a natural when it came to balance in the rigging. One of her few accomplishments, and now she regretted it more than anything. If she'd been a klutz, they would have ordered her to just hide and she could have done so.

Steeling her nerve, Alex ran forward, using Jim's shoulder to push herself up onto the railing. She carefully made her way out to the rope tied furthest out on the point, holding onto it for dear life as Jim followed. She'd never been so scared in her life…but she had to admit it was nice to have her best friend here beside her through it.

The teens knelt in order to keep their balance, lowering their centers of gravity to counter the buffeting winds and Mr. Turnbuckle's evasive maneuvers. Alex grabbed the rope as Jim untied it, and pulled with all her might to close the sail. The wind was too strong for her, but Jim's hands soon joined hers to help. Together, they managed to pull the fragile solar sail closed, and Silver tied it off behind them. He was pulling the knot tight when one of the many flying chunks of debris rammed into the wood right behind him. As wood splinters went flying, Silver was shaken from his perch and fell, his lifeline snapping from the sudden weight of the machinery of his arm and leg.

"Silver!" Jim shouted, dashing forward without hesitating for a second. Alex did, and she knew she'd wonder about it later. Even as she reached out to the rope to help Jim, she wondered how she could have even needed to think about something as important as a man's life.

Silver scrambled back into place, gripping the bow spit with both flesh and mechanical hands. "Thanks lad," he said shakily. "And you as well, Miss Valentine." He said, nodding to her. Alex barely granted him a hint of a smile, too unsure of things right now to even understand the many emotions rushing through her.

But figuring them out would have to wait. More pressing matters were at hand, and they required her full attention. And a glance to her right brought that idea to a head. Alex's gasp went unheard as the males followed her gaze, watching as a giant ball of rock and flame rolled towards them. It was easily bigger than the ship, and she could feel the intense heat even from this distance. If it got too close, the wood of the ship would catch fire before the rock splintered them to pieces!

Alex looked back towards the wheel, where Turnbuckle was fully focused on his steering. By the look on his face, she could tell that he wouldn't be able to get them out of the way in time. She shuddered and knelt lower to the wood of the bow spit, gripping it with both hands and watching with wide eyes as the rock drew near. She felt Jim put a hand on her arm and glanced over, fear filled eyes meeting. She took a deep breath as she looked back, holding an arm up as if to protect herself from the searing heat of the ball of magma.

This was it, the end. The moment that ball hit them, she'd be tossed out into open space where she'd die almost instantly. Her mind whirled, wondering what she could possibly do or say to make these last moments special…

But those thoughts faded as the ball slowed, the heat fading along with it as it began to pull away. What was happening? She didn't know, but this new development somehow frightened her even worse.

"Let's go!" She distantly heard Silver shout. She hardly registered that it was her and Jim he was calling to before Jim tugged lightly on her sleeve. She quickly pried herself free from her perch and followed them back onto the deck, only to be thrown off her feet as a great wave of heat and pure energy exploded past them.

"What was that?" she cried, the panic in her voice too strong to be hidden.

"I dunno." Jim said, having to speak loud despite being directly beside her. The pair looked up at the wheel, where the Captain and Dr. Doppler were watching the many various screens and computers. From what Alex could discern from the doctor's frantic shouting, the star was devolving into a black hole, and it was pulling them in along with the very explosion it had died with!

No one really knew what to do. Some of the crew in the rigging had finished tying up the sails, and were now hurrying back down to the deck where things might be safer. Others – especially those who'd heard Delbert's exclamation – had stopped whatever it was they were doing to get on their knees and pray. Alex found herself wanting to join them, but her terror kept her attention from focusing on even a short prayer.

Arrow turned and shouted to Captain Amelia that the sails had all been closed. Not that it was doing them any good now, Alex thought. Then to her surprise, Amelia's lips curled into a reckless grin, ordering for the sails to be released immediately. Arrow was just as confused as Alex was, it was obvious, but he shoved it aside in favor of passing the orders on to the crew. It was his unwavering trust in the Captain than pushed Alex to her feet so she could help. Jim was ordered to double check the lifelines, and Alex was left free to do as she saw fit.

She decided that getting the sails down was priority, so she'd help with those. She once again dashed to the foremast and started to clime the rope webs up to the sails, where she and Mr. Onus quickly undid the knots holding the sails in place. As the solar fabric dropped and fell limp in the near lightless air, the two looked at each other. Onus's many eyes were being tugged this way and that by the wind and she wondered how he could possibly see what he was doing. But he apparently could because he sent her a grudging nod. It seemed that the fact that she was brave enough to climb up here in the middle of this disaster was enough to make him at least respect her a little bit. It was hard not to appreciate the bravery of others when terror filled your veins.

Both were distracted from the wordless exchange as a second magilla washed over them. Alex clung to the crossbeam with both arms and legs, literally holding on for dear life. The strength of the wave was enough to slide her a few feet, much too close to the edge of the beam for comfort. If the wave had felt strong on deck, up in the weaving masts it was a hundred times worse.

"Get down girl!" Onus shouted to her, pointing to the rigging that would take her to the deck. Alex gladly did as he'd said, scrambling to the ropes and climbing down them to the deck where she wouldn't be able to tell just how far sideways the ship was leaning.

Just now, even she could find a few spare thoughts for a frantic prayer that they'd make it out of this alive.

"Alex!" She turned to see Jim running towards her and breathed a sigh of relief. Despite her own danger, her best friend's well-being had never left the back of her mind. It was good to know he was safe. Well…as safe as anyone could be as they were being sucked into a black hole. "Come on!" She couldn't hear the words over the roar of a third magilla, but his hand grabbing hers was hint enough. He dragged her to the main deck where Silver was already waiting. The teens both crouched low against the sturdy main mast, and Silver easily shielded them with his bulk.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the light got steadily dimmer. Alex's pale blue eyes found Jim's for a moment before filling with tears. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into a hug, letting her bury her face in his neck. It was almost pitch black now, and Alex was starting to seriously doubt that the Captain's plan would work. How could it? Everyone knew you couldn't escape a black hole, it was impossible! As her sight faded, Alex grew keenly aware of her other senses. Sounds were muffled in her ears, but she could still feel Jim's heart beating a mile a minute against her chest. His hands were warm on her back as he pulled her even closer, and she no longer knew who was comforting whom.

She hoped this wouldn't be the end…but if it was, she was glad she was with Jim.

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Oh my goodness you guys, I am SO sorry! Things have been insane lately, I forgot all about posting chapters for this story! not to mention writing more. I'm falling further and further behind it seems._

_Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! it's not much of a cliffhanger, seeing as most of you have likely seen the movie. but still =P_

_Please PLEASE review, it reminds me to actually update this thing!_

_Your Forgetful Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Just when Alex had resigned herself to death, a rush of heat and pressure pressed them down even lower to the deck. The ship was vibrating so hard that Alex was sure it would fall apart. Was this what black holes were like once you'd fallen through?

Despite the fear of what she might see, Alex looked up to blink in surprise. Beyond the bow of the ship were the same stars that they had been heading for before this whole supernova business. Behind them the black hole was still sucking everything nearby into its empty grasp, but in front of them was free space, with nothing holding them back.

For a moment, everyone was silent, awed that they'd escaped and that they were still alive and breathing. Only a second later everyone shouted and jumped for joy, some hopping into a jig and others doing cartwheels in happiness. Jim laughed and lifted Alex from the deck, spinning her around just as he'd always used to. Alex couldn't help but giggle madly as the fear melted to be replaced with uncontrolled relief, clinging to him as she got dizzy.

When the boy finally set her down she wobbled a bit but braced herself, just in time for Morph to float over and collapse into a mushy pile in her hands. She grinned and rubbed his head fondly as Jim chuckled at the blob. Finally, the still well-composed Captain came down the stairs. She congratulated them all for their bravery in the face of death, and Silver for his Cabin Boy's well-done job with the lifelines. Jim and Silver grinned and nudged each other playfully, and for once, Alex felt no jealousy in watching the action. She still didn't trust Silver, but it was hard not to like him a little bit after all this. She simply smiled at their antics, stroking the still quivering Morph with a thumb to calm him.

"All hands accounted for Mr. Arrow?" The Captain asked. "Mr. Arrow?" But for once, there was no gravely 'yes ma'am' to be heard. Alex looked around to see others doing the same, but there was no sign of the large rocky man. Finally, Scroop came forward, holding a very familiar tricorn hat.

"I'm afraid Mr. Arrow has been lost." He said, the sadness in his voice sending a chill up Alex's spine. "His lifeline was not secured." Alex couldn't believe it. Arrow couldn't be gone! He'd been so strong and steady, a pillar of strength she'd admired and looked up to. He'd been so easy to respect, she could hardly believe it was even possible for him to die.

And now…Scroop was blaming Jim? She turned to look at her friend, biting her lip at the horror in his eyes. No…no it couldn't be! She knew Jim would never shirk his duties when they were important as this! People's lives had been at stake, she knew he would have taken care to check each and every rope tied to the main mast.

Jim shook his head, protesting the accusation. He spun and shoved his way through the crowd, determined to prove himself innocent…only to stop short at the sight of a single empty rung. Alex's chin quivered slightly as her friend's face fell and the truth settled in. As he stared in guilt, Alex looked at the others. Most wore masks of sadness and regret, even Silver's emotions seemed genuine. Only Scroop stood out. He had a tiny but very real smile on his face. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion as she looked away. No…not even Scroop would be that horrible…would he? She shivered slightly as she wondered if maybe Scroop had done something to "help" Mr. Arrow's lifeline come undone.

Not that it mattered…she couldn't prove anything. She wasn't even sure if that was the case. For all she knew, Scroop was innocent and just happened to not care that the first mate had died.

Amelia sadly spoke a few words in honor of the fallen officer. Alex could hardly concentrate on the speech, too busy worrying for her friend. She knew he'd take the accident badly, blaming himself. It was something he did a lot…even when he hadn't had any control over things.

When the Captain turned to return to her cabin, Alex didn't move. She glanced at Jim, who still looked too upset to speak properly. She'd have to wait until later to talk. And then she had to wonder…did she really want to comfort him? He'd been happily ignoring her for weeks now, why should she care if he was upset over something?

But as dinner came and went and Jim didn't show up, her worry grew. She couldn't just ignore years of friendship, no matter what kinds of idiot he'd been recently. Finally, as the last of the crew members went off to bed, she caved. She piled a plate with some food and decided to just go looking for him.

Jim was hiding out in one of the lookout posts at the stern of the ship, staring off at the stars. Despite the reflections in his eyes, she knew he wasn't really seeing them. Knowing him, he was simply replaying today in his head over and over again, and growing more depressed over it.

"You missed supper, so I brought you something." She said softly, balancing the plate on one hand as she climbed the steep staircase to the lookout. Jim didn't answer, just turning away to glare at the stars. She chewed on her lip as she sank onto a box beside him, holding the plate out.

"I'm not hungry." He said.

"Something I never thought I'd hear you say." She attempted to tease. It failed miserably and she shook her head. "You need to eat something."

Jim turned to glare at her for a second, and then in a fit of anger hit the plate out of her hands and over the side of the ship. Alex watched the food fall away from the ship until it left the gravity field and just floated and spun in place.

"I'm only trying to help." She snapped, her limited patience with the boy already almost gone. "I know it wasn't your fault."

"Not my fault? I was given one job and I couldn't even do that!" he shouted at her, not caring that she was only a foot away from him. He stood and jumped down to the deck and Alex hopped up to hurry after him. She grabbed his shoulder and turned him around, her pale blue eyes almost grey with anger.

"You know after ignoring me for the past few weeks, the least you could do is hear me out."

"Ignoring you?" he asked in disbelief. Alex could tell he was actually surprised that she was saying something about it. He'd apparently been expecting a speech about how it wasn't his fault, about how it was a mistake, and how everything would be alright. But that only fueled Alex's anger further. He had some nerve…

"Yes, ignoring me." she spat, eyes narrowed dangerously. "When was the last time you talked to me? When was the last time you stopped and said hello or checked up on me? When was the last time you even gave me a second glance? It's been weeks Jim! You're too busy with Silver and the crew to even remember I'm here!"

Jim rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, Alex. I see you every meal, it's not like I _could_ forget about you."

Alex snorted. "Yeah right, Jim. You don't even acknowledge me at meals anymore. You grab a plate, eat, and leave. Off to follow Silver and show off or something. Did you even think about me once? While you're on your little adventures and I'm sitting in the galley with endless dirty dishes?" Tears had entered her eyes, but she was too angry to let them fall. She wasn't even sure if she was sad anymore, she wanted to show Jim just what a jerk he'd been. "You didn't even remember my birthday! I'm eighteen now Jim, do you even care? No…no you don't. You're too busy off flying with Silver, trying to impress him. You don't know how dangerous he is, you're too busy gobbling up his sob stories!"

Jim stared at her, speechless. Well…almost. "You were spying on us weren't you? I knew it, you were hiding down there right before the Supernova hit! Did it ever occur to you that you were listening in on a _private_ conversation?"

The girl's jaw flapped in incredulity. "A private conver – ugh!" she shouted, exasperated. "Have you heard a word I've said? You've been acting as if I don't exist, and you're more upset about me accidently overhearing one measly little conversation?" Words failed her and she stepped back, shaking her head. Disappointment and sadness was overtaking the anger, and she was eager to just get away. "I didn't want to believe it Jim…but you're heartless. For the past few years, I have done everything I could to keep you out of trouble, to try and smooth things out between you and your mom. I have put up with your stupid little mood swings and kept myself for knocking your lights out at your own idiocy. And what do I get in return? Nothing. You can't even bring yourself to _be_ my friend, can you? Not when you have such wonderful people as John Silver in your life."

She sniffed and realized that the tears had spilled over. She didn't remember it happening, but now her cheeks were damp, catching the slightest puff of air from the solar winds.

"I have cared about you more I've ever cared about anyone." She whispered, her voice nothing but a croak between her emotion and the tears. "But it's obvious you don't feel the same. I'm not worth anything to anyone, I never have been… But then I guess you've proven that already, haven't you?"

She turned and walked away, stalking down to the galley without looking back. She grabbed a brush and the soap, and started working on the new pile of dirty dishes.

Silver had watched in silence as the teens fought. Despite everything, he felt guilty for having come between them. Alex had been slowly falling apart and he hadn't even noticed. All he'd noticed was how close she was to Jim, and had sought to keep them apart. They couldn't share suspicions if they couldn't talk, after all. But…they hadn't shared anything else either. He listened as Alex's scrub brush slowed and then stopped, finally falling to the floor with a clatter. A peek through the doorway revealed the girl to be kneeling on the wooden floor, sobbing into her hands. Even now she was trying to keep quiet so no one would know. He rubbed his neck, feeling ashamed… He'd messed this up, maybe he should try and fix it.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Jim didn't feel the happiest he'd ever felt, but Silver's words had really struck a chord somewhere. He couldn't have done anything about Arrow, as much as he wished he could have. He may never stop blaming himself a bit…he'd never know the true reason for the lifeline failing. But he also knew that he couldn't have done anything differently. And hey, at least he'd helped save Silver, right?

"Now, I'd best be getting about me watch." Silver said gruffly. "And you have something you need to do before you head to bed, my lad." The man's pointed voice told Jim that he'd overheard the argument he and Alex had had. Jim had to sigh, he hated apologizing. But he knew Silver was right and that he needed to do so.

He trudged down the steps to the galley and refrained from calling his friend's name for a moment as he searched for her in the shadows of the galley. The sound of muffled sobs reached his ears and he grimaced. That…would be his fault. He slowly went to the kitchen, following the soft sounds of crying to the back corner of the room. Alex was kneeling on the floor, a soapy scrub brush abandoned beside her on the floor. She leaned against the counter as if it was the only thing keeping her from melding with the floor. Jim chewed his lip for a second then kneeled before her, gently pulling her hands away from her face.

Alex raised her eyes and Jim saw that they were grey with emotion. Her surprise instantly turned to anger and she turned away. "I don't want to talk to you." She said flatly.

"You don't have to, just listen." Jim said. She didn't look back at him, but she also didn't get up and leave; he knew it was the most encouragement he'd be getting. He sighed and took his time sitting beside her as he searched for the right words. "Look, Alex…I don't really know what I can say. I didn't realize how badly I've been treating you lately. So much has been going on that I didn't realize how little we've seen of each other lately. Looking back, I've been pretty rotten huh?" His lame attempt at a joke backfired and Alex snorted. Jim sighed and looked at his hands, picking slightly at a scab on his finger. "I know I don't deserve it, and I'm not very good at this whole apology thing… but I'm sorry. If I'd known…or realized… I really am sorry."

"It's going to take more than a sorry for me to forgive _you_, Jim Hawkins." He could tell she was trying to sound stern, but her voice was little more than a whisper.

"I'll make it up to you." He promised, turning to kneel in front of her. She still refused to look at him, but he could tell she was listening. "Just trust me, and let me prove it. I'll make things better."

"Good luck with that." She said, her voice cold. Jim winced. She sounded absolutely certain that he'd fail. That he would give up. Well…he'd just have to prove her wrong. "You'd better go," she said, wiping her tears and grabbing her scrub brush. "I need to finish up here."

Jim shook his head, spotting the perfect chance to start his path to redemption. "Can I help?" He grabbed a second scrub brush as Alex raised an eyebrow at him. Her eyes had warmed back to their usual pale blue, and it was a surprisingly comforting sight.

"I guess so."

"Good, then we'll be done in half the time and we can both get some sleep."

Alex didn't reply…but she did hand him the first plate on the next stack of plates. Jim smiled grimly, and began to scrub.

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_I've come to the conclusion that I am a horrible person, because I LOVE writing fights XD I don't really get angry with people. Ever. So I guess this is my outlet =P Also, as previous readers will likely notice, there was a pretty major thing cut out of this chapter! Don't worry, it'll come eventually, but not any time soon, so you'll just have to wait :P_

_Please review and tell me what you think! Rewriting is much more fun when I know that people are enjoying the story :)_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Over the next few weeks, there was a very obvious change around Jim as he focused on repairing his friendship with Alex. He stopped eating with the rest of the crew out in the galley, instead bringing his plate into the kitchens and eating with her in the corner she'd claimed for herself. When he was done with his chores he would come down and visit her, chatting with her as she worked or even helping her out. He'd even volunteer to do watch in the earliest hours of the morning, so when he was done he could make her a small something to eat before she arrived to start making breakfast for the crew.

Alex didn't encourage him, and had no plans of doing so. Despite everything, she was still very hurt and very angry with how he'd treated her. If he'd given up trying to win back her friendship, she would never have given him another chance. But he never gave up. He never stopped trying to help her out, or make her smile, or just hang out with her.

The boy even managed to arrange a late birthday party to make up for missing the actual day, and managed to keep it a secret until the last minute. When she finally got suspicious, she showed up in the galley to find most of the crew waiting there in the decorated room and accompanied by silly party games. She was even surprised with a few gifts! The Captain treated Alex to a tricorn hat similar to her own, edged with blue to match her eyes. Delbert told her where he'd hidden her surprise, and she arrived in the back of the engine room to find her old solar bike which he'd managed to sneak on board. He was rewarded with a hug when she got back to the galley. Even Silver had a gift for her, bowing low and presenting her with a rose of metal which he'd welded in his spare time.

Jim waited until the attention had moved from Alex to the current game to give the girl his own gift. It was Delbert's turn to play pin the tails on the Dankria, but the blindfolded doctor had gotten spun around and misled to the opposite side of the room. As the crew shouted directions to the man, he sidled up to the laughing girl watching them.

"Happy late birthday." He said softly, holding a small box up in front of her nose. She leaned back and took the box with graceful fingers, sending him a look.

"What is it?"

"Open and see." He told her with a smirk. She grinned a bit in return and untied the string, lifting the lid of the box. Inside sat a tiny silver locket, engraved with a rose on the front. She lifted the charm and opened it, but rather than the holograph she was expecting, she only saw two tiny pictures. On the left was a picture of Sarah and a younger Jim, only a short time before she'd appeared on their doorstep all those years ago. And on the right was a picture of her and Jim making funny faces, from a fair in town a few months before.

"I've been waiting to give this to you for ages. It's not one of the fancy holographic lockets; I couldn't really afford it…"

Alex could hear the slight worry in his voice and looked at him in surprise. He was actually afraid she wouldn't like it! She silenced his worried mutterings with a shy kiss on the cheek.

"It's perfect." She whispered with a smile, her cheeks pink. She could see his ears turn red and giggled slightly, trying to relieve the tension a bit as she clasped the silver chain about her neck.

The two rejoined the festivities for a while, until the Captain and Doctor bid them all goodnight and left. Once they were gone the crew cheered and pulled out a barrel of rum they'd been waiting to drink. And Alex's birthday was as good of an excuse as any. Alex decided that was her cue to leave and head to bed herself.

Jim grabbed her wrist when he caught up to her on deck. "Where you going?"

"Bed. I don't really need to stay up." She replied, acutely aware of the fingers wrapped around her wrist. "I'd rather not be around when they get really drunk. Or caught; either way." She added with a grin.

Jim shrugged. "You don't really need to sleep yet though…come on!" He didn't wait for her to reply before pulling her down a different set of stairs and though the storage area of the hull. As he tugged her past the engine she got confused.

"Jim, where are we going?"

"For a ride!" he said, putting the switch and opening the hatch below one of the lifeboats.

"What? We didn't ask; we'll get in trouble!"

The boy hopped into the boat and held out a hand to her, a smirk on his face and his blue eyes shining with mischief. He didn't have to say a word, but the look he sent her made shivers trail up her spine. She took his hand and let him help her into her boat, helping him to lower it into the slight bubble of air surrounding the hull of the ship.

"Ready?"

"Always." She said with a grin, taking a seat beside him on the rearmost bench. He smirked at her and threw open the throttle, making her whoop with excitement as they shot off into the black. Truth be told…she'd missed breaking the rules a little.

Alex hadn't thought Jim could improve any when it came to flying, but he seemed determined to prove her wrong. He knew just when to slow down for the sharpest turns, and could steer the longboat well enough that they could swoop through the rigging. Alex only let him do that once though, she didn't want to get caught.

Instead they swung about outside the bubble of air from the ship, cheering and flipping and just generally having a wonderful time. Alex was smiling ear to ear when she spotted the comet.

"Jim look!" she called to him over the sound of the engine. Jim understood instantly and flew after it, flying right into the tail and laughing at Alex's gasp.

The icy ball was constantly shedding a sheet of snow and a chill, making the girl shiver even as she grinned. She hopped forward a seat and spread out her arms, watching as snow swirled around her arms in a nonexistent breeze.

Jim was laughing at her enthusiasm when she turned back to glance at him, making the laugh choke off without warning. Her hair swept around her face and shoulders, her cheeks and nose were pink with cold, and her eyes were shining brilliently. Just the sight of snowflakes caught in her eyelashes made his stomach flip flop strangely. For some reason, he knew that she'd never looked more beautiful to him.

"We should head back." She said regretfully as she moved back to her seat. Jim nodded, still unable to figure out how to speak for some reason. She brushed snow from her clothing and then from Jim's shoulder with a laugh, and the spell broke as they neared the ship.

"So? How'd I do?"

"At what?" she asked, grunting as she pulled at the rope to lift the bow of the longboat into the ship.

"At celebrating your birthday!"

Alex laughed and let him help her from the boat, following him back up on deck. "Well…aside from the fact that it didn't happen _on_ my birthday…" she teased with a glance, making him rub his neck in guilt. "It was the best birthday I've ever had." She finished. He wasn't sure if it was the words or the way he said it…but he instantly knew that she'd forgiven him.

He glanced at her and she smiled, dashing forward and wrapping her arms around his waist. Again, his insides flip flopped and his arms pin wheeled for a moment before setting to hug her back.

"Thanks Jim." She whispered into his shoulder, before she was gone, heading down to the crew's quarters to get to bed. Jim blinked after her, feeling slightly dazed and confused. He shook his head to clear it and glanced out at the stars, a smile growing in his face.

It looked like his hard work had finally paid off.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Alex woke with a groan as she rolled over and sunlight hit her face like a warm slap. It was too early for this! She sighed and pulled her blankets up over her head, but the damage had been done. It was one of the many prices to pay for basically being the lowliest person on this ship. She'd been given the hammock right by the stairs going up to the deck. It was the coldest or hottest depending on where they were or what they were passing, and either moon, star or sunlight always seemed to be shining right on it.

After a few minutes of waking up rather than falling back to sleep, she gave up. She yawned and forced herself upright, pulling her blanket from her head and not caring that her hair was sticking up all over the place. Everyone else was asleep anyway, there was no one here to see.

She rolled out of her hammock gracefully, unlike the first time when she'd fallen right onto the floor. Time had made her swinging bed just as comfortable as her bed back home had been. She knew she may as well get dressed and get her work started early.

She ducked behind the curtain she'd hung her first day on the ship, where her things were piled in an old crate. She'd grabbed her too large pair of pants and shirt before she froze, staring at the clothing in her hands. She'd been wearing the shapeless clothing for weeks now, in an effort to stay invisible. But…they weren't really her. She didn't even like them! Maybe it was time for a change…

She dropped the unattractive outfit and dug for some of her new clothing, deciding that today would really be a turning point in her life on this ship. After today, nothing would be like it had been.

A brown skirt went over rust colored, striped stockings and her boots, and a stamped leather vest hugged a loose blouse to her curves. She didn't even braid her hair for the day, instead grabbing a section from either side and tying them together on the back of her head. As she looked herself over, she had to grin. Gone was the complacent girl the crew was used to, and in her place was a confident, pirate lass. Her smirk grew, knowing that Silver would probably use that exact phrase when he saw her later.

She slipped from behind the curtain to find Morph impatiently waiting for her. He zoomed forward and hit her cheek with a gentle slap in happiness, making her giggle.

"Shh!" she whispered to him, still trying to hold in her amusement. "We don't need to wake everyone up." Even as she spoke her eyes were drawn to where Jim slept. Much too soundly, she figured. It might be too early to start breakfast, but not to have a little fun.

"Alright, come 'ere." She whispered, waving Morph closer. She whispered her plan in the giant ear he provided for her, and he giggled and cooed in excitement. Alex grinned and grabbed one of Jim's boots, hiding it behind a trunk in the corner. Morph stretched and twirled until he matched the hidden boot and took his place beside the first one.

In the meantime, Alex grabbed a feather – left over from the fowl they'd had for dinner the night before – and moved to Jim's hammock. Above him was Mr. Snuff, the one who spoke Flatula, who snored through his many tentacles. Alex grinned and inched forward, finally reaching out to tickle one of the tentacles with the feather.

Mr. Snuf rolled, a few tentacles hanging right over Jim's face, blowing his hair about. Alex dashed to hide with Jim's boot behind the trunk as Mr. Snuff rolled over again, this time slapping Jim right in the face. As Jim jolted awake to slap at the appendage, Alex covered her mouth to hold in her laughter. She couldn't hide the snort as he fell right out of his hammock, but thankfully he was too busy to notice. Everything was going according to plan!

Jim yawned and rubbed his face, still half asleep. His blue eyes were dark from leftover sleep and his hair only got messier when he ran a hand through it. And honestly, Alex thought he looked adorable. He reached for his boots without really seeing them, pulling the first one on without incident. When he reached for the other however, it hopped out of reach.

"Morph?" Jim groaned groggily, lurching to his feet. Morph/the boot jumped away and towards the corner where Alex hid, hiding with her. Jim staggered towards them, and they snuck around the opposite side of the trunk as he knelt to search for his missing shoe. Alex tiptoed away, still carrying the real boot as Morph zoomed over and kicked the boy in the backside. Alex was certain she must have turned purple by now, just from trying not to laugh.

Jim spun, much more awake now. "Morph!" he said loudly. Morph made the boot stick its tongue out before changing back to his normal pink self, and Jim dove at him, missing entirely. At that Alex finally burst out laughing, running to the stairs. She looked back and grinned at her friend, still sprawled on the floor, and casually showed him that she had his other boot.

"Alex!" she heard him call as she dashed up the stairs. On deck she tossed the boot to Morph, before running to the galley as fast as she could. She heard Jim dive for his boot, apparently getting it this time, and searched for a place to hide. As Morph zoomed past her and into a barrel of purps, Alex followed. The fruits were enough for a soft landing, but they were thankfully tough enough that they didn't burst. Morph was giggling in her ear and she grabbed him to keep him quiet, peeking through a slit in the side of the barrel.

Jim half fell down the stairs, pulling his boot on as he did so and almost prompting a laugh from her once more. She refrained, though she knew that he'd find her before long. There weren't really a lot of places to hide here… She watched through the crack as Jim slowly moved through the room, looking under tables and in the dark corners. Finally he spotted the barrel and came over, peering over the edge. Alex had time to smirk and grin at him before he dove in.

"Busted!" he shouted as he tried to get a hold of her, ticking her relentlessly. Alex burst into giggles as she tried to wriggle away, unable to get anywhere thanks to their confined quarters. Distantly she was glad this barrel was as large as it was, because the two took up enough room when they weren't moving around so much.

Suddenly the boy froze and Alex did the same. Her ears strained, wondering if he'd heard something, but the only sound to reach her ears was the distant creaking of ropes in the rigging. "What? What's wrong?" She questioned him, turning to look at him. It was only then she realized just how close they were, or the position they were in.

Alex was practically curled in Jim's lap, his hands were still on her waist and hers against his chest. And she could swear his face was only inches from hers. Her mouth went dry and her breath caught in her throat, and a dozen butterflies started swarming about in her stomach just at the intense blue color of his eyes.

Jim's thoughts had already moved beyond the shocked frozen stage Alex was currently trapped in, as a dozen things suddenly fell into place. Why he'd found himself watching Alex do the simplest chores, just because she made them look like a dance. Why he wanted to know about her past and her parents, just so he could promise her it was all over. Why he wanted to protect her from everything, even Silver's too-long chore list. And the urge to kiss her that had entered his mind before was only more insistent now.

He was slowly leaning forward when a voice – a very close voice – spoke. Alex jumped, but Jim held her in place, not wanting to give their hiding place away.

"All we're saying is that we're sick of all this waiting." One voice said.

"There's only four of them left." Said another.

"We are wanting to move!" The third voice Alex knew was Mr. Onus, and she sent Jim a worried glance. The pair looked through the crack in the barrel to watch the three crew members complain to someone out of sight. When it was a cyborg arm that came into view, Jim gasped and Alex covered his mouth with a hand.

Even Alex hadn't suspected that Silver might be the leader of this rabble, what was going on?

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Ooo la la, someone's in lurve! But they'll have to wait, ha! I do love being evil :D Does this count as a cliffhanger? I guess it doesn't really, since you've likely all seen the movie, lol. Still, it's kind of a thrilling cut off XD_

_Review and I'll write faster! I'm not just saying that for reviews, lol. Every time get a review, I get the urge to write more of the story! They really do motivate me like nothing else. So please please pleeeease take the time to review and tell me what you thought of this chapter :)_

_Your Inspired Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"We don't move 'till we got the treasure in hand." Silver's distinctive voice seemed to cut at Jim, and his eyes grew more hurt and angry with each of them. Alex usually enjoyed being right about things, but one look at Jim's horrified look made her wish she'd been wrong about the cook. She'd been warming to the man despite her distrust over the past few weeks, and had come to enjoy spending time with him in the kitchen. He'd even taking to calling her Rosie as a nickname. She'd never suspected him to be planning a mutiny!

"I say we kill them all now." Scroop's gravelly voice grated on Alex's nerves as always, and now it made her shiver. Jim wrapped an arm about her shoulders, though she could tell he was focusing on the conversation more than her.

"I say what's to say!" Silver growled, grabbing Scroop around the muzzle and pulling him down to his height. "Disobey my orders again like that stunt you pulled with Mr. Arrow-" this time it was Alex who gasped and Jim who covered her mouth in case she tried to call out. "And so help me, you'll be joinin' 'im!"

Silver threw Scroop right at the barrel they were hiding in, dislodging its three occupants. Morph floated up, about to squeak a protest before Alex grabbed him and cuddled him close to her chest in an effort to keep him quiet. She turned frightened eyes to Jim, who moved his arm from her shoulders to her waist as he pulled her protectively to his side. Normally such an action would have made her heart beat madly, but now it was too busy thumping with fear.

"Strong talk, but I know otherwise." Scroop said as he climbed to his feet, sounding much too smug for someone who'd just gotten thrown into his place. He reached down behind him into the barrel and the teens pressed away, trying not to get bumped. Realizing what he was reaching for, Jim picked up a purp and placed it within reach of the alien's grasping claw so he wouldn't have to look down at them.

"You got somethin' t' say?" Silver asked, a challenge in his voice.

"It's those brats." Scroop hissed. "Methinks you have a _soft_ spot for them." His sharp claw punctured the purp along with his words, making it perfectly clear what he meant. Looking at Silver's face, she was surprised to see a guilty look flash across it for a split second. He covered it up so fast that Alex wasn't sure if she'd imagined the whole thing. Now, he glowered at the spider-like creature, his anger seeming to emanate from his form. Alex could swear the room got colder.

"Now mark me, the lot o' ya." He said in a low, dangerous tone. "I care about one t'ing and one t'ing only. Flint's trove. You think I'd risk it all on some nose-wiping little whelp?"

Jim's eyes were round with disbelief, and Alex bit her lip in sympathy. He looked at her, his blue eyes so lost she could practically feel it herself. She shook her head in mute apology and found his hand, squeezing his fingers as Silver went on.

"What was it?" Scroop asked in his sickly sweet voice. ""You got the makings of greatness in ya." Wasn't it?" Alex wasn't sure what he was talking about, but both Jim and Silver flinched.

'Shut yur yap! I cosied up t' that kid to keep him off our scent. The girl I just worked to death, and as you all noticed, it worked like a charm." Alex glared at what she could see of him though the slit in the barrel, and Jim's arm tightening on her waist showed his own anger. "But I ain't gone soft." Silver warned his crew members.

Both of the teens hiding in the barrel were stiff as they waited to see how Scroop replied, but a distant cry interrupted the impromptu meeting.

"Land ho!" the lookout was shouting up in the rigging. Those of the crew who'd conjoined in the galley shouted for joy and rushed up on deck to see, Silver and Scroop included. Alex loosened her hold on the wriggling Morph and he flew off after the cook, while Alex and Jim just looked at each other.

"I think we got on the wrong ship, Jim." She whispered, not even bothering to attempt the wry grin that would normally have accompanied such a statement. Jim understood. Both of them were still reeling with what they'd learned, too much to feel the fear she knew would come later.

"No." he shook his head firmly and grabbed her hands in his own. "We'll go to the Captain and tell her everything. She'll know a way out of this. Come on."

He stood and climbed out of the barrel, lifting Alex out after him as if she didn't weigh a thing. They were running for the stairs when Silver himself blocked the sun at the top of them. Alex's hand found Jim's once more as they backed away.

"Silver? What's going on?" Alex asked, feigning a yawn. "Normally you've started breakfast by the time I get down here."

Silver raised an eyebrow. "Funny, you were awake when I went to find you, lass. Not in yur hammocks, either of ye. And I know for certain you weren't in the kitchens…playin' games, are we?"

"Yeah," Jim said, his voice low with distrust. "Yeah, we're playing games." The pair couldn't back up any further, they'd hit a table.

"Well you see, I was never much good at playin' games." Silver said softly. "Always hated to lose."

Alex's throat was choked with fear, she felt like she couldn't move. What would Silver do to them if he figured out they'd overhead his little meeting? Oh who was she kidding, he'd figured it out already. But her mind was jumping around so quickly it was hard to keep track…what could she do?

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jim's hand scrambling for anything he could use to get them out of this mess. Just out of his reach was a sharp tool she'd been using to core Abalask berries the night before. She slipped her hand from his and pushed the tool into the fingers of his opposite hand. Unlike her, he didn't hesitate to act.

"Me too!" he yelled, lunging forward and plunging the tool into Silver's cyborg leg. Smoke billowed and the cook cried out as he fell over, all function in the limb lost. Alex was still frozen in her panic, but Jim grabbed her wrist and pulled her up the stairs. They didn't even stop to look at the planet looming in the distance, instead running right back to Captain Amelia's stateroom.

As they swung the door shut, Silver had made it up the galley stairs. No time now! Jim pushed the door closed and locked it tight, while Alex tried to explain to Amelia and Delbert why the Cabin Boy and Kitchen Maid were barging in on their tea.

"It's the crew, Captain!" Alex exclaimed, trying to put her words in the proper order. She was finally coming out of her panicked state, and a slightly calmer fear had taken its place. It wasn't much of a blessing, but at least she could think straight. "They're pirates, working under Silver. They're going to take over the ship!"

"They already are." Jim corrected, looking through the peephole in the captain's door. "Silver's rounding them up now."

"Pirates? On my ship? I'll see them all hang." Amelia whipped out a gun, spun and charged it expertly. "Doctor, are you familiar with these?" She didn't wait for his reply before tossing it to him.

"Well I've seen-er, I've read-" The gun went off, the blast shattering the lamp over the captain's shoulder. "No, no I'm not." Amelia rolled her eyes as she grabbed the bronze map, tossing it to Jim.

"Mr. Hawkins, defend this with your life." Morph, not understanding the severity of the situation, caught the map in midair and Jim had to jump at him to get it back.

"Morph, here!" Alex cried. He happily zoomed over and plopped on her fingers, but she shook her head at him. "This isn't a game, Morphy." She whispered, gasping as she heard clanking of metal on metal as someone outside banged on the lock. Someone stopped the banging, but the sound of a blowtorch took its place.

"Miss Valentine!" Alex turned to have an armful of pistols shoved into her arms, forcing Morph to float up over her shoulder instead. Amelia grabbed a few more pistols and charged one of them, blasting a hole right through the floor of the room. The finely crafted wood floor exploded and wiring melted, giving them access to a smaller passage below in the hull of the ship. The captain lead the way through the opening; Delbert, Alex and then Jim following her. The four of them charged down the red lit hall, through the metal door at the end just as a few pirates hopped through the hole after them.

"To the long boats, quickly!" Amelia ordered as she slammed the large metal hatch shut, melting the lock with a shock pistol to slow down their pursuers. The others continued on, jumping into the longboat as the Captain hit the lever to open the hatch. Alex was dumping her armload of weapons when Morph zipped over to Jim, grabbing the map from his pocket.

Jim leapt out of the boat and after the playful blob, and Alex cursed softly to herself. She couldn't help him, it'd be a waste. Not when Amelia and Delbert needed help here. Instead she hunkered down in the boat and charged up a pistol, carefully taking aim as the hatch was blown wide open.

Alex didn't know if she shot anyone. She wasn't even sure if she'd really tried. Rather than force herself to deal with her confusion over the idea of shooting other living beings, she aimed for other things. A nearby switchboard shocked passing pirates when hit, and by shooting the corner of a net holding large boxes, she could take them out by making the boxes fall on them.

She didn't see Scroop coming from the side until it was too late. The flash of red in the corner of her eye made her turn, and without thinking she turned her pistol and fired. Both girl and insectoid froze, staring at the smoking hole on one of his shoulders. Her shot had melted through the exoskeleton there and boy was he mad… Alex couldn't even squeak before he grabbed her around the neck and hauled her out of the boat.

"Alexandra!" she heard Delbert cry out, but Scroop was using her as a personal shield. They couldn't help. She wiggled and tugged at the claw, but to no avail. It had settled in a concrete ring, just large enough to not crush her windpipe. Wonderful…

"Don't worry about your friends." He whispered. "They won't be going anywhere." He turned her so she could see the closing hatch beneath the longboat. At the same moment, she spotted Jim, charging back to the longboat with the map in hand.

But no…the door was too far closed. They'd be stuck, even if Amelia and Delbert were able to the shoot the pullies tethering them to the ship! Scroop was right, they'd never escape.

Alex's eyes met Amelia's eyes and she saw the Captain's widen in understanding. She was shaking her head no…but Alex knew there was no other choice. She made a split second decision and swung her legs up, kicking Scroop in the shoulder she'd shot.

The alien screeched in angry pain, but he also dropped her in the process. Alex landed badly, twisting her ankle, but didn't stop to dwell on the pain. Instead she lurched forward and grabbed the lever pulling it downwards and opening the hatch once more. She half hung on the thing as she lowered herself to the floor. Her ankle was throbbing, but her eyes were locked on Jim.

The boy ran towards the boat at full speed, Silver shortly behind him. Meanwhile, the Captain and the Doctor each shot at the cables holding the boat in place, and the thing dropped. It landed, sitting precariously on the edge of the still-opening hatch. Jim jumped and grabbed the edge of the boat, just as it tipped and fell through space and towards the planet below.

"Get in the boat, get in the boat…" she whispered as she watched the boat fall in almost slow motion. Finally Amelia grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him in. Even as the longboat fell away, she could see Jim looking around in confusion, then back up at her. She silly boy was actually worried about her while he was plummeting to the planet surface!

"Be safe." She whispered. Behind her, the crew was jeering and shouting angrily. Silver roared so loud she was sure they must have heard it back in Montressor. Scroop, now even more angry with her than before, grabbed her by the arm and half dragged her to her feet. Barely able to stand on her bad ankle, his claw was actually helping her, even though she could already feel the bruise his grip would leave.

"Shoot them down!" the crew shouted, angry at losing their prey. Silver didn't like this plan though, heading up onto the deck. Scroop followed, clicking his way up the stairs just in time to see Silver try and stop the gunman from firing. It was too late, and the lightning ball of energy spiraled at the ship. Alex gasped as it clipped the back of the longboat, sending it veering off towards the planet's surface and trailing a column of horribly black smoke. She thought they may have steadied a bit before they were out of sight, but they were hidden from view by the giant mushrooms with grew on the planet's surface. She told herself they'd be alright. They _had_ to be alright or she'd go mad up here by herself.

Silver spun to glare at her and she glared right back. She'd lived with Jim too long to not have some of his defiance rub on off her. "You, Missy, are going to be locked away fer a century where you won' cause any more trouble. I'd still 'ave that map if it weren't for you!" he shouted angrily.

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat." She promised, pale blue eyes glinting in her own anger. "My friends wouldn't have had to run at all if it weren't for you."

"Your friends…ha." Silver rolled his good eye. "You'll never see 'em again, I guarantee it."

"Shall I…stow her away?" Scroop asked, a little too kindly for Alex's tastes. "She'll enjoy the brig I think."

"Nah, too easy. 'ow about we stuff her in that barrel she was usin' t' spy on us this mornin'?" The crew looked surprised at this update, but didn't seem to mind that much. They cheered as Scroop dragged her down to the galley, where she was unceremoniously dropped into the large barrel. Scroop wasn't going to leave it at that though, so he went and found the heaviest pot he could find and placed it on top. Cackling evilly, he filled it with the dirty dishes she hadn't been able to wash yet.

Well wasn't this grand? Alex pushed herself up onto her knees and shoved at the pot with all her might. It was no use though and she soon sank to the floor again. She couldn't lift the cast iron pot on the best of days when it was empty, let alone now.

"Buried under dirty dishes, it seems to be my fate in life." She grumbled to herself as she shoved the purps out from under her.

"At least you don't have to wash these." Came Silver's voice. Alex looked through the barrel's crack, seeing the cook propping his feet on one of the mess tables.

"Why would you do this to me? At least in the brig I would have had room to stretch and move." She asked him, furious.

"Because, Alexandra Valentine, I don't trust me own crew. They might try an' do things to you down there, and there'd be no one t' stop 'em from doin' it. This way I can at least keep an eye on ya."

"Oh…" Alex whispered. She hadn't really thought of that. "But why would you even bother? You're the bad guy, aren't you?"

Silver actually chuckled. "Because, Rosie, I like ya. Always 'ave. Yer a tough one, and you take everything standing straight and tall. Not to mention I like Jimbo, and he'd flay me if I let anythin' happen to ye."

"If you like Jim so much, how come you went through with all of this? I know you care about him. I can tell. I don't even think I mind it anymore. So why'd you do it?"

"Because that's what plans are for. To follow through 'til it's all been done. Our plan was to mutiny, and we did jus' that. Now once we get the treasure, we'll be off."

"What about us? Me, Jim, Delbert and the Captain…what'll you do with us?"

"We'll likely leave you here. It's a life sustaining planet, you'll get along jus' fine."

"What?" Alex exclaimed, horrified. "We'll die, you know that!"

"Perhaps, but it's safer fer us this way. You can't retake the ship, and the crew won't toss you overboard when they get twitchy."

Alex didn't have an answer, and Silver didn't seem to expect one. Instead he advised her to sleep away her boredom before leaving. He and the crew didn't want her to overhear their plans. Of course they didn't exactly have to keep their meetings secreted away in the galley anymore, did they?

Her stomach growled and she remembered her lack of breakfast. Thankfully she was stuck in a purp barrel, free to munch whenever she pleased. Even as she ate she continued to angrily mutter to the wooden walls of her tiny prison. She was fuming, and she didn't care who knew it.

Inside though, she was just a frightened kitchen maid, far out of her league. She was so worried about Jim and the others, and positively terrified about what would happen to her next. How would they ever get out of this?

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_And finally things are happening! I admit, I enjoy writing stories more in the in-between scenes though. The scenes movies leave out. They on;y have so much time, so they're forced to leave out the boring every day stuff. But in my mind, that stuff is the most exciting to write. Not to mention allows me the most chance for creativity :D_

_Please review! I'm in serious need of inspiration right now, and reviews inspire me like nothing else. So please take the time to send me a little message and tell me what you thought of this chapter :)_

_Your sunburned authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Alex had dozed for a while, but a cramp in her leg woke her up again. Almost instantly her mind was whirling with escape plans, each more unlikely than the next. If she was honest, her best chance at escaping was if someone were to move the pot off the barrel and forget to put it back in place.

Fat chance of that happening.

She was just dozing off again when someone did lift the pot from the barrel's top. She looked up in time to see a red claw, and Scroop lifted her bodily from the barrel.

"Put me down you jerk!" she screeched, keen to annoy anyone and everyone in whatever way possible.

"As you wish." He hissed. She dropped and yelped as she landed on her bad ankle. It had swollen a bit during her time in the barrel, and was now stiff inside her boot.

She didn't struggle as she was blindfolded, as a sword tip was pressed against her throat the entire time. But as she was dragged through the ship she did. What was the point of blindfolding her anyway? She knew this ship inside and out…

Even as she yelled and struggled against her captors, she noticed that she was pulled up from the galley and then down into the hold. She could feel a warm breeze, meaning the hatch must be open. Wonderful planet air had so many more scents than the recycled air of ships, and this smelled of warm damp, greenery, and a strange dull spicy scent she'd never smelled before.

She was dropped into a longboat, where she quickly stopped struggling to grip her seat. Normally she didn't mind flying, but normally she wasn't blindfolded. And normally she was with Jim, who she trusted implicitly. Still, just their actions told her a lot.

They were flying down to the surface, and taking her along, which meant they needed to bargain for the map. That in turn meant the others were alive! She didn't bother to hide her happiness at this thought, though she was wacked in the back of the head for her trouble.

It didn't take long for them to reach the ground, and she was lifted out of the boat once more. Her feet hit a strange, unstable ground cover; she felt like she was walking on a thin mattress. Moss maybe? She took a cautious step forward and stubbed her toe on what she suspected was an enormous root. So she froze.

"Move girl, we're in a hurry." Someone ordered.

"Not until you take this blindfold off. I can't walk if I can't see. And I'd prefer not to be led off a cliff for your amusement." The crew chuckled at the idea and she rolled her eyes, only to wince at a sharp pain on the right side of her face. How kind, someone had cut the blindfold from her face with their sword. She felt a warm trickle of blood and turned to glare, but couldn't wipe the drop away. They were tying her hands behind her back in order to make up for the lack of a blindfold.

She didn't mind. As long as she could see, she'd play along with their little game. Though…not quietly. Trouping through the jungle wasn't even particularly tiring, not when she was as used to work as she was. But the ever quiet, steady Alex was anything but right now. She whined that her feet hurt, and complained at the way the ropes were rubbing her wrists. She happily made a fuss about every little thing. Most of the crew grew more and more annoyed with her, but Silver maintained an almost proud gleam in his good eye. It was enough to keep her from giving up.

Besides, she knew they'd never find Jim. He, the captain and Doctor had surely found a hiding place by now. They'd never let Silver and the pirates just waltz up and-

"Hey fellas! We're over here fellas!" Alex was busy trying to figure out if the voice was familiar, and squeaked when she was grabbed as the pirates ran for cover. A cleft in the earth provided it, and she was dropped in the dirt behind it. The pirates had opened fire before Silver told them to hold off. By this time Alex had managed to push herself into a sitting position – something very difficult with one's hands tied behind one's back – and got a glimpse of a strange building at the top of the hill. And in the large front entrance, Jim was firing his pistol at the pirates. She beamed even as she slid back to the dirt. She _known_ he was alive. And putting up as much of a fuss as ever. Silver shouted for the pirates to hold their fire, and she glanced over to see him tying his handkerchief to a stick

"He won't buy it." She said with a snort. Silver glared at her and someone else "accidently" pushed her over again.

"Hello up there!" he called as Alex struggled to untangle herself. "Jimbo, if it's alright with the Captain, I'd like a short word with ye. No tricks, just a little palaver." By the time she'd made it back upright, Silver was gone. She rolled to her knees and barely got a glimpse of Jim and Silver's meeting before she was shoved back down again.

"Ruffian." She grumbled angrily, huffing as she leaned back against the dirt wall.

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"What you 'eard back there," Silver was saying to Jim. "At least the part concerning you… I didn't mean a word of it." Jim just glared, and Silver played up his innocent act. "Had that blood thirsty lot thought I'd gone soft, they'd 'ave gutted us both!" He beckoned Jim closer. "You listen to me. If we play our cards right, we can both walk away from this rich as kings!"

"Yeah?" Jim asked, playing along for now. He was anything but happy with the man, but he'd hold off a little longer…

"You give me the map, and an even portion of the treasure is yours." Silver held out a hand to shake. But Jim just glowered.

"Boy…you are really something. All that talk of greatness, light coming off my sails…what a joke."

"Now see here Jimbo-"

"Well at least you taught me one thing, stick to it, right? And that's just what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna make sure you never touch one drabloon of _my_ treasure!"

"That treasure is owed me, by t'under!" Silver exclaimed angrily.

"Well try getting it without _my_ map, by t'under!" Jim said angrily back, imitating the old pirate. Silver's good eye went dark.

"You still don't know how to pick your fights, boy. Now mark me. Either I get that map by dawn tomorra, or you'll watch your little girl friend get shot between the eyes and I'll use the ships canons to blow you all t' kingdom come!" He turned back towards the hillock where the pirates were hiding. "Bring 'er out!" he shouted.

Jim hadn't thought he could be any angrier with the man he'd come to trust over the past few weeks. But at the sight of Alex being dragged out into the open did it. Lightning crackled through his veins at the many tears in her clothing, and the bruises he could see even from here. She was struggling, but someone hit her with the butt of their pistol to daze her. Blue eyes narrowed as the girl went limp and Jim turned to glare at the cook turned pirate.

"This is low, Silver…even for a pirate." He spat.

"Jim?" he heard, and spun to look down at Alex. She was shaking off the daze it seemed.

"Alex!" he called back. The girl started struggling again.

"Jim! Don't give him the map, he's lying! He's a pirate! Even if he get's the map, he'll leave us here to die! Don't-" her words cut off as the crew member hit her with his pistol again, and she dropped like a stone.

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Alex woke slowly, groaning as a sharp pain pounded behind her eyes. She had a monster of a headache…had she forgotten to eat supper the night before again?

Blue eyes fluttered open and she groaned. No…she was back in a barrel. Not the same one, this was empty of purps. She pushed herself upright and groaned as her head throbbed. Oh right…someone had wacked her with a pistol. She'd have to send the pirates a thank you card later.

She sighed and rubbed her eyes. She wasn't thinking clearly, but she didn't exactly care right now either. She blinked and frowned as she looked about her prison. This barrel was a teensy bit larger than the first one she suspected…but she couldn't stretch out her legs. They were tingling angrily at her, having both fallen asleep while she was unconscious. She winced and rubbed them, pins and needles flaring as blood flowed back at its normal pace. A clinking sound drew her eyes to her wrist, where something heavy hung. Her other fingers felt about, finding a metal cuff clamped about her thin wrist. Of course stuffing her in a barrel hadn't been enough, she'd needed to be chained up? How very magnificent. She tugged at the chain, not really surprised when she couldn't slip her hand through it. Her fingers followed the links to the top of her prison, where they were trapped between the pot and the lip of the barrel. She suspected it was chained tight to something out there, in case she managed to escape the old purp container.

It was dark. Very dark. When she held her hand up, she could only barely see the outline of her fingers in the dim lighting. A peek through a handy crack revealed the shadowy shapes of more barrels and boxes. Where was she? She strained her ears, but could only hear the rumble of the engine. Not even the usual creak of wood and ropes in the rigging of the ship reached her. She must be relatively far away then…likely at the bottom of the ship. If her assumptions were correct…she was in the room designated to food storage. The door would be at the top of a ladder somewhere in the room, leading to the galley.

"Hello?" she called. No one replied. She had to wonder if anyone could even hear her down here. Why would they hide her away down here anyway, was there a point? She doubted it. It was just much more lonely this way…more of a punishment. As her stomach growled, she sighed. So was her hunger, she suspected. She was a prisoner. At least a prisoner of the navy would be treated properly. Pirates didn't know the meaning of decency.

A loud clank above her head made her frown. What was that? It hadn't sounded like Silver's mechanical leg. He had a rubber foot which prevented such clanking on the wood of the deck. It sounded more like someone had dropped a pan or two.

She waited, ears straining as she tried to hear more. She was entirely unprepared for the siren that suddenly wailed, making her jump and squeak. Ships had alarms? Why hadn't she known that before? For a moment her curiosity made her unable to think of anything else, but thumping somewhere beneath her pulled her back to the real world. Someone was running… She knew there were small corridors which snaked around at the very base of the hull, which would allow a mechanic to get to various parts of the engine and such. It sounded like someone was running down there?

She growled to herself at the thought of the filthy pirates even touching the beautiful engine…

The alarm went silent after only a few moments, but she didn't have to wait long for the next oddity. The lights all went out in a blink, making her gasp. She hadn't had much light to begin with in here; losing that little bit was like losing oxygen. She sat perfectly still, breathing slowly to keep herself calm. The small space was bad enough…the pitch black would make her panic if she wasn't careful.

Thankfully the red emergency lighting flickered on a moment later, though the only one in this storage room was up on the wall, likely by the door to the galley. She didn't care, it was incredibly wonderful after that bout of empty blackness. Shortly after that, the regular power flicked back on. It wasn't much, but she knew it was better than nothing.

Whoever was below her in the mechanic's crawlspace was still thumping around. She wondered what on earth they were doing…when suddenly she lifted from the floor of the barrel! Had someone turned off the gravity? Alright, someone was messing with the wiring, and they obviously had no idea what they were doing. But…this prevented a wonderful opportunity!

She carefully stretched out her legs, her eyes tearing as they almost screamed with the pain. She's been curled up for hours on end, no wonder her legs hated her right now. She shoved the pain aside though, there was no time. She didn't know how long it would be until the gravity was turned back on. She pushed herself up, shoving at the large pot which had her trapped in the barrel. She winced in pain as she put weight on her bad ankle, but once again pushed it away in favor of escape. Even without the gravity field on, the pot seemed unwilling to budge. She managed to push it upwards though, and shoved it to the side. With no gravity to control its movements, the pot continued floating off to the side, where it would hit a wall or something. Alex ignored it, happily shoving herself out of the barrel.

As she suspected, the chain she was still attached to had been securely nailed into the floor. Pull as she might, she'd never get those nails loose. Maybe…maybe if she could find a tool, she could pry it up from the wood…

Without warning a light swept across the floor and she fell with a yelp. On the far side of the room, she heard the pot fall with a loud clank. She pushed herself from the floor, rubbing her aching head, and she heard someone speaking not too far away. Up on deck? Yes, it definitely came from up on deck.

"Um, having a little trouble disconnecting the laser canons, Captain Jimmy, sir. It's harder than I thought."

Alex's thoughts whirled. Jim? Jim was here? So that's who'd been clanking around below her. And that's why all those strange things had been happening. She didn't hesitate a moment longer, shooting to her feet and screaming her friend's name.

"Jim!"

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_Much much better than the original. I swear I'm starting to impress myself!_

_On the other hand I'd love some reviews! But reviews with substance would be wonderful. It's not that I don't appreciate people saying something like "Great chapter, please update soon!", because I do. I still appreciate the time you took to leave the message! But it's also rather difficult to reply to. There are only so many ways I can say "thanks, the next chapter won't be long now" before I start to sound like a broken record :P Leave me questions and comments if you can, engage in real conversation! It's more fun for everyone =P And if you send a one liner, I'll be grateful, but I won't bother to reply, lol._

_Your silly (and far too picky) authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Jim grunted as he fell to the floor of the crow's nest, giving a weak chuckle when Morph popped out of a nearby pipe. He fondly patted the mast, which had kept him from floating away into the depths of space as Scroop was now doing. He figured it was perfect revenge. Not only had the creep killed Mr. Arrow, but he'd been the one who had hurt Alex so much.

Alex…the thought of his friend made his heart thud painfully. He wondered where the pirates were hiding her. He suspected they had her bound and gagged in the camp they'd made on the planet's surface. But he'd needed the map so badly. Choosing between the map and his friend had hurt. A lot. But he'd figured that if he'd rescued Alex and not gotten the map, they'd all be in trouble. If he had the map, it gave him leverage to keep her safe.

Well, he'd just have to try and rescue her on the way back, wouldn't he? Having the map to keep her safe was good. Having both would be better. He climbed to his feet and over the edge of the crow's nest, making his way down the rigging with the ease of long practice.

"Um, having a little trouble disconnecting the laser canons, Captain Jimmy, sir." He heard B.E.N. say back on deck. "It's harder than I thought."

A glimpse revealed the robot to be tangled in multicolored wires. "Bio-Electronic Navigator, my butt." Jim grumbled as he finished climbing down. Who knew what sort of damage the memory circuit-less robot had caused?

He jumped to the deck and spotted his pistol. The thing had fallen to the deck when the gravity had turned back on. He'd just stuffed it in his belt when he heard something that didn't belong. He froze and strained his ears, shushing B.E.N. before he had a chance to speak. Then…he heard it again. Was that someone calling his name?

He whispered for the robot to stay quiet, following the faint cries. He moved towards the stairs which led to the crew's quarters, shaking his head to himself when it grew fainter. A few steps to the galley and he knew he was going the right way.

"Alex?" he called down the stairs. He didn't know who else would be calling him up here…but what if it was a trap? Another cry was the only reply. They hadn't heard apparently… He moved down through the mess tables and into the cooking area, and he heard it again.

"Jim!" his eyes went round. That was definitely Alex…and she wasn't just calling, she was screaming for him!

"Alex!" he yelled, searching the room. Where was she? Her voice was too faint to be in the room. The sight of a small door made him skid to a halt and change direction. He threw open the door and barely stopped himself before he tumbled over the ledge and into the storage room below. "Alex?"

"Jim! Oh thank the stars!" he heard the girl call from below him. He left the door open and started to climb down the ladder, jumping when he was halfway down. He turned and ran forward to where his best friend stood with open arms.

He'd never been so happy to see anyone before, he was certain. His hug was so enthusiastic he'd lifted her right off the floor, but she didn't seem to mind. She clung to him just as tightly, her fingers gripping his shirt and shoulders. Her face against his neck gave him goose bumps, but he only held her closer.

"You came." She whispered. Her breath on his skin sent a shiver up his spin, which he disguised by setting her down again. He could barely see her in the dark, but he'd felt the chain on his back as she'd hugged him.

"Of course I came." He whispered, inspecting the chain. He didn't think he'd be able to get it undone from the floor, not without something to help him. His fingers followed the links until he found her wrist. "Though the being here part was lucky." He admitted. "I thought you were down on the planet, I came here to get the map."

"The map was here?" she asked in surprise. "The whole time?" He nodded, then remembered she couldn't really see him either.

"Yeah. You know how Morph stole the map earlier? I went to chase him, and he hid in a coil of rope. When I grabbed the map, I'd actually grabbed him. The map never left the ship."

Alex snorted. "Figures." Something in her tone made him frown. But there was no time now, he needed to get her free.

"Alright, hold still. I don't want to hit you." He said, pulling out the pistol. She froze as he charged it up and aimed. A single shot melted the chain a few links from the cuff around her wrist. She gratefully stepped away from the chain and even in the dim light he saw that her legs were trembling. "Alex?"

"Ow." She muttered in reply, carefully lowering herself to the floor. She rubbed her legs as he knelt beside her. He didn't have to ask, she knew he wanted to know what was wrong. "They stuffed me in the barrel." She said, nodding to the thing. He glared at the container, as if it was its fault Alex hurt. "I couldn't move really, my legs both fell asleep."

"Yikes." He winced in sympathy. It was bad enough when a limb had only gone numb for a second or two, he couldn't imagine how painful it would be after hours. She'd been here all day! He made a face and looked around. There was no way around this… "Sorry Alex." He said quickly before he got to his feet. Before she could ask why, he'd lifted her from the floor and swung her over his shoulder.

"Jim!" she exclaimed, confused and surprised. "What are you doing?"

"We don't have much time." He told her. "We need to get back to the planet. Just hold on, I'll put you down in a second."

He knew Alex could hear the amusement in his voice and that she was dying to smack him or something. She didn't though, simply gripping his shirt. She grumbled softly to herself in annoyance as he moved slowly up the ladder. He couldn't quite keep the amusement from his eyes. As he scrambled out to the galley floor he set her down on the floor. Once the door was shut he took her hands, pulling her carefully to her feet.

In the better lighting, she looked terrible. A long – if shallow – cut trailed down the side of her face. Blood had smeared and dried in a streak back to her ear. Her shirt was torn in more than one place on her arms and shoulders, each revealing dark purple bruises. She was still stretching out her legs carefully, but he could tell she was favoring one. She could stand on her left leg just fine, her right one trembled when she put the smallest bit of weight on it.

"Alex…" he whispered, unsure of what it was he was going to say. She looked up at him, her grey-blue eyes understanding.

"Just cuts and bruises." She promised him. "And a twisted ankle. It'll heal."

He made a face and she couldn't help but smile. The worry and guilt on his face warmed her from the inside out. She reached up and rested a hand on his cheek. His eyes met hers and she grinned, before turning and limping to through the galley. The boy hurried after her, his hand on her back in case she stumbled.

They'd only gone a few steps before something cold and smooth smooshed against her cheek. She gasped and leaned away, only to laugh at the pink blob floating there. Morph held the imprint of her features for a moment longer before he twirled about with an excited coo. He plopped against her again, chittering happily. "Alright, little guy." She whispered as she moved on. "I'm glad to see you too."

Jim wouldn't accept no for an answer when they reached the stairs, ignoring her protests as he picked her up once more. At least this time he didn't toss her over his shoulder like a sack of porto roots… When they reached the top, a rather goofy looking robot met them with a grin.

"Aw, that's so cute! So you must be Alex, I've heard so much about you! I think… Jimmy, you did tell me she was pretty, didn't you?"

"I may have." Jim said absently. Well…he sounded rather absent, but Alex could see that a pink tinge had appeared on his cheeks, making her grin.

"And who are you?" she asked the robot, turning her smile to him. Moss grew in his joints, and he seemed a bit absent minded. Much like Delbert, when he was studying something so intently that he forgot to do simple things like eat and sleep.

"B.E.N." he replied happily, grabbing her hand and shaking it. "Bio-Electronic Navigator, at your service, my lady." He gave a dramatic bow and almost fell over, making her giggle. "Though apparently I have no idea how to disconnect laser canons."

Alex brightened. "I know how to do that! Jim, would you put me down already?"

"Oh! Right, sorry." The boy exclaimed, carefully setting her on her feet once more. To her surprise, it seemed that he'd really forgotten he was carrying her. Surely she wasn't that light, was she? She pushed such strange thoughts away and limped her way to the next set of stairs, where she'd be able to reach the switch board near the engine. This time, she refused to be carried, insisting that her legs would get better the more she used them. She couldn't help that she loved the way Jim hovered about her anyway.

In only a few minutes she'd replaced the wires B.E.N. had managed to get tangled about himself. Once that was done, she pulled out a single purple wire with a smirk.

"Laser canons disconnected, sir." She said with a salute. Jim smirked and took her hand, leading her back up to the deck.

"Perfect. Now we'd better get back to the planet. Delbert and the Captain are holed up safely, but…"

Alex frowned. "But what?"

He sighed. "She was hurt. When they hit us on the way down. Crash landing and everything. I don't know how bad it was…but she was talking nonsense when I left."

"Well get a first aid kit!" Alex told him, rolling her eyes slightly. He blinked and realized she was right. He promised to be back in a second and she chuckled. She swore, if his head wasn't attached… She carefully climbed over the railing of the ship and dropped into the longboat, wincing when she jammed her twisted ankle. It was better than before, but it was still pretty stiff and pretty swollen. She inspected it as B.E.N. dropped into the boat with a loud clank.

A first aid kit dropped before her nose a moment later and Jim soon followed, leaping over the railing and right into his seat. "Anything else?" he asked. She shook her head and he started the engines, taking them slowly back to the planet' surface.

The trip was a slow one, as Jim didn't want to alert the pirates to the fact that he'd stolen their boat. Morph had taken up position on her shoulder, and seemed determined not to leave it. She didn't mind, and told him that his coolness actually soothed the large bruise there. He grinned and licked her cheek, and moved from one bruise to another, pressing against each of them for a time before moving on. Such a simple gesture meant so much that her eyes filled with grateful tears. It had been a very long day…

She carefully tugged her boot off to inspect her bad ankle. She knew it would swell up again if she wasn't quick, so she simply wrapped it with a bandage before pulling her boot back on. She'd give it time to properly swell and heal later. For now, she'd need to be able to move. The bandage would at least keep her slightly weak ankle steady.

Landing was more exciting this time, since she could see. Her eyes took in the strange plants that lived on the surface. Mushrooms taller than any trees she'd ever seen were everywhere. Smaller plants seemed…simple as well. Most everything looked to be some sort of fungi and the others were plants with little or no roots, as if they didn't have enough spoil to grow larger.

They landed near the pirate camp and climbed out, letting Jim pull the floating craft back to where it had been before. He tied it up and came back, tiptoeing so as not to disturb the sleeping pirates. Alex eyed their silent shadows warily, wondering what it was that bothered her about the camp. She couldn't figure it out though, so she decided not to mention it. Instead, she followed Jim to a large round hatch, which he lifted. B.E.N. climbed down first, and Alex followed. Jim came last, securing the hatch behind him.

"Wow…" she breathed as she looked around in awe. They were in some magical place full of pipes and clumps of wires…she'd love to explore and find out what it was all for.

"It apparently goes though the entire planet." Jim told her, grinning at the way her eyes sparkled. "Don't slow down, we need to get back, remember?"

"Right…right, I know." She whispered. But even as she followed him, she kept looking around in awe of the giant machine. Going through the strange system wasn't always easy. Sometimes there were defined walkways and bridges, but mostly it was a lot of climbing. She felt as if she were climbing a tree made up of shiny metal and right angles. She was grateful for the light surrounding them the whole time though. Navigating this mess in the dark would have been a nightmare.

Finally they reached an ornate spiral staircase and started climbing up. It didn't really seem to fit…but then this entire machine seemed to be a mishmash of parts from all sorts of different worlds. Alex loved it. She followed Jim all the way to the top, where they reached a round opening into a dark room. He turned and pulled her up after him. She tugged her skirt straight when he let go.

"Still got it?"

"Yup." He pulled the map from his pocket and turned, dashing to where she assumed the Captain and Delbert were. "Doc! Hey, Doc, I got it! I got the map!"

But the fingers that reached out to take the metal sphere weren't the doctor's. It was metal machinery and Alex gasped.

"Fine work Jimbo, fine work indeed." Silver said happily. Alex groaned as she realized what had felt so wrong about the pirate camp. They'd been entirely silent, no snoring. Whereas the crew's quarters had always been full of it. The teens' eyes were drawn to their right, where the Doctor and Captain were tied and gagged. Other crew members circled them and Jim tried to dash away. He wasn't quick enough.

"Thanks for showing us the way, boy." Someone jeered as they grabbed him. Alex, who'd run towards the large front window of the structure, was grabbed as well. She twisted and struggled, kicking anyone who came too close. Finally another pirate came to help hold her still. Morph circled around behind them and she suspected he must have bit a tail, because the pirate on her left yelped. But then he must have been stomped on or squished, because he was soon zooming back to hide under her hair. She could feel the little guy trembling on the back of her neck.

She was finally able to get one arm free and stomped on the foot of the other pirate, who released her as well. She was dashing towards the tunnel – surely she could lose them in the planet's innards easily enough – when she was grabbed again. This time he unsheathed his sword, holding it against her throat. One arm was twisted up behind her back, so struggling would be painful. She was forced to walk back to the group, where she saw that Jim had been secured as well. Even so, he was glaring defiantly at Silver.

"Yer jus' like me, Jimbo." The cook told him. "Ye hates t' lose." Jim was about to spit a reply, but the pirate holding Alex cleared his throat, the sight of the sword at her neck made the boy swallow his retort. Alex was both grateful and ashamed. She didn't really need any more cuts, but if she hadn't been in the picture…

The five captives were carefully held in place while Silver inspected the map. He twisted and turned it, a many clawed contraption in his arm furiously pressing buttons. Alex and Jim shared crooked smiles. He'd never figure it out… Alex was honestly amazed she and Jim had in the first place. In the days leading up to their departure from Montressor, they'd experimented with an uncountable number of other combinations. Nothing had worked except the original pattern.

Finally, the man lost patience. He thrust the sphere under Jim's nose and ordered him to open it. Jim only glared and Silver raised an eyebrow. His arm spun to reveal a pistol, which was aimed right between Alex's eyes. She didn't react except to glance at Jim who was glowering.

"I'd get busy." Silver threatened, cocking the gun. Jim finally gave in, twisting and pressing all the right buttons without even looking at the thing in his hands. The green lights exploded and Jim was shoved back into place. Alex hooked her free hand around his elbow as they watched, grateful when he rested his hand over her fingers.

The lights didn't spread out and form the living map this time though…instead they swirled until they were a perfect model of the planet they were on. Then it flashed and swirled again, a green line shot out of the room through the opening in the front of the structure. It was like a green laser leading the way. Alex would bet the R.L.S. Legacy that it would lead them right to the treasure. Silver grinned in triumph and called for Jim to be tied up with the rest, but the light disappeared before he'd even finished giving the order.

"You want the map? You're taking me too." Jim said, holding up the closed map.

"And you're sure not leaving me behind." Alex quickly added, her lips set in a stubborn line. Silver actually chuckled a bit.

"We'll take 'em all." He announced. Alex wasn't sure if she should grin or grimace. For better or for worse, they were going with the pirates on a treasure hunt.

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Another week, another chapter. So much for not keeping to a regular schedule =P_

_And please please send me some inspiring reviews, I'm having a really hard time with the chapters I'm writing right now and could use some inspiration :D_

_Your inspiration-blocked Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Alex and Jim were led at gunpoint down the front of the large hill and to the pirate camp. Delbert, Amelia and B.E.N. were forced to follow as well. Alex and Jim were sat right in the front of the boat with the map, the others near the back. Silver - wanting to keep an eye on the teens - sat directly behind them, his gun still aimed at Alex. Jim didn't argue when he was ordered to make the map work again, though her leg against his assured her he wasn't happy about it. He was tense with anger. She let hand slip over to brush his knee as the boat flew off after the green light, catching his eyes when he glanced at her.

Her eyes asked if he was alright, and he nodded, grabbing her hand. He did it so carelessly, as if he did it every day…she wondered if it made his stomach flop about the way hers did whenever he did so. She opened her mouth to speak and Silver shushed her. She glared at him over her shoulder, and turned to the front again with a sigh. It's not like talking was a horrible offense. She shook her head in annoyance and Jim squeezed her fingers. She caught sight of a reassuring smile flitting across his face and relaxed a bit.

They'd take this test as they'd taken previous ones. They'd deal with things as they happened. And with a little luck and little skill, they'd hopefully find a way out of this. Without a word, she rested her head on her friend's shoulder. She'd never thought their adventure would be quite this exciting.

Eventually the green light led to a place where the plant growth was too dense for them to fly through. The teens and the robot were ordered out of the boat to follow on foot, while a brute of a pirate was left to guard the Captain and Delbert.

As they walked, Morph poked his head out from her hair and squeaked a tiny worried noise. Alex held up a hand and the blob rolled onto her fingers, allowing her to carry him before her instead.

"It's okay, Morph." Alex promised, stroking his head with a thumb. "It'll all be alright."

She jumped when B.E.N suddenly shouted behind her. "Was I ever dancing with an android named Lupe?" The girl spun as Jim shushed the robot with a glare.

"Relax B.E.N., this isn't over yet." Jim said softly. Alex bit her lip and turned forward once more, letting Morph slide up her arm to hide in her hair once more. The crazy robot, what was he yelling for? Being held at gunpoint wasn't the best place to startle trigger happy pirates.

Only a few more minutes of hiking later, the light zoomed right into a wall of plants. Silver spun out his sword, saying that he could smell treasure. He chopped the many stalks apart, leading the way through. They ended up on a cliff, and the light trail they were following ended abruptly at the edge of it. And…there wasn't anything there.

"I see nothing!" Mr. Onus shouted angrily. "One great big, stinking, hunk of nothing!" this set off more protests, which only increased in volume as the green light was sucked back into the sphere.

"What's goin' on, boy?" Silver asked, getting angry himself.

"I dunno! I-I can't get it open!" Jim said in a slight panic. He tugged and twisted at the map, which seemed to be stuck. None of the buttons would press in either.

"We should never have followed this boy." Someone else screeched. She hoped and leapt on Jim's back, sending him sprawling.

"Hey, it's not his fault the thing is broken!" Alex yelled angrily. She yanked her arms free as someone tried to grab her, but froze when Silver's gun swept out to point at her chest.

"I suggest you get that gizmo going again, and fast!" Silver order the boy, his voice dark. "Or your little rose 'ere is goin' t' get some serious damage."

"Let's rip her gizzard out!"

"Throw her over cliff!"

Alex's pale blue eyes widened as her fate was happily discussed among the crew. How would they get out of this one? Unless Jim could get the map to work…

To her surprise, he wasn't even looking at the map, but at the ground. She was about to offer a shaky laugh and suggestion for him to hurry, when he cleared a spot free of moss and revealed a divot. The map in his hand was placed inside it, fitting perfectly.

Suddenly the entire cliff glowed with green markings. Alex was dropped in shock and she crawled out of reach even as she stared in awe. A sphere of light rose from the ground where the map had been placed, looking like a globe of the Etherium. Before anyone could inspect it closer, rivers of light appeared in the distance, zooming towards them and collecting at the base of the cliff they stood on. It came up right past them and hovered in the air there, before the bottom widened into a triangle.

Alex blinked in shock as the triangle flashed and then again in surprise at what she saw inside of it.

"The Lagoon Nebula?" she asked, getting to her feet.

"But that's…halfway 'cross the galaxy." Silver's voice was laced with wonder.

"A big door," Jim said softly. "Opening and closing." He touched a finger to a point in the floating green sphere, and the gateway flashed, the view changing.

"Those are the floating cities of Magellan!" she exclaimed in surprise. Jim touched someplace else. "And that's Skifara, the sand planet." Jim looked at her thoughtfully, then turned back to the sphere.

"Let's see…Kinapis…ah, Montressor Spaceport." He pressed crescent shape, and the doorway opened to reveal the very place where their voyage had started. "So that's how flint did it!" Jim exclaimed, wonder in his voice. "He used this portal to roam the universe stealing treasure!"

"But where'd he put it all?" Silver cried, shoving Jim out of the way. Unlike the boy, Silver couldn't care less about the why's or the how's, he just wanted the riches the infamous pirate had collected. He started pressing random locations. Alex saw views of planets she barely remembered from her own travels and studies. B.E.N. started muttering, and she glanced at him in worry.

"Treasure? Treasure…it's buried in the-" He stopped, pulling at the loose wires which stuck out on the back of his head. Jim seemed to know what he'd been trying to say though.

"Buried in the centroid of the mechanism."

"Centroid of the…" Alex's eyes flashed with sudden understanding. "What if this _planet_ is a mechanism?" she asked, remembering the machine like interior they'd been climbing through only an hour before.

"And the treasure is in the center of this planet!" Jim finished her idea with a grin. The listening crew members grabbed picks and shovels, hacking away at the ground only to find it was made of metal.

"How in blazes are we supposed t' get there?" Silver asked loudly.

"You just have to open the right door." Alex said with a grin. Silver glared at her, but Jim knew exactly what she was thinking. He stepped forward and reached into the floating globe, touching the image of Treasure Planet which sat in the center. The triangle door flashed to reveal a large, odd looking room. Through the hazy heat wave entrance, it looked like sand dunes?

Jim went first, hesitantly pushing his hand though the portal. When nothing happened, Silver rushed forward, eager to be the first one really though. Alex followed along with the rest of the crew. One by one they walked through the strange liquid-like barrier, and stopped in disbelief. As one, the pirates started to cheer.

Because in front of them was a sea of treasure, forming the core of this mechanized planet. Gold and jewels of every shape and size dominated the view, sweeping before them in mounds and hills. How could one man have possibly gathered all of this treasure together in a single lifetime?

B.E.N. was rambling again, something about this all being very familiar. Alex ignored him, kneeling to grab a handful of riches. In a single handful, she had a dozen gold coins, a ring with a ruby the size of her thumb, and a star sapphire shaped in a flat disk as large as her palm. A star sapphire the size of her pinky nail would have been enough to build the Benboe three times over. One this large? She could hardly believe it was all real!

Jim grabbed her free hand and tugged her away from the doorway, and she absently dropped her handful. Except the star sapphire…that she tucked away in her blouse. It may just come in handy. As she was pulled along, she couldn't help but sneak a few more wonders from the ground, where they found their way into vest pockets and her boots.

"Come on." Jim urged quietly. "We're getting out of here, and we're not leaving empty handed." He pointed to an old wooden ship he'd spotted. It made the sea of gold feel even more like a real ocean. Jim jumped and climbed up onto the ship with ease once they reached it, before turning and puling Alex up after him. The robot following them was still muttering about not remembering something. As soon as Jim pulled him up on deck, he spotted something which made him fall flat on his face. Alex and Jim spun to see a large shadow of a man.

"Captain Flint?" Jim said in awe.

"In the flesh!" B.E.N. said. One of the nearby lasers powering the gravitational field in the center of the gold mass flared, lighting up the body. "Sort of. Except for skin, organs, or anything that resembles flesh. That's not there." The robot finished weakly. Alex stepped forward, looking Flint's skeleton over with a morbid sense of fascination and fear. She spotted something clenched in his dead fingers and pointed it out to Jim.

"What is that?" she asked him. The boy broke the bones away, revealing a small piece of machinery. The teens looked at each other, and then at B.E.N. Or, more specifically, at the empty spot on the back of his head.

"B.E.N., I think we just found your mind. Hold still." Jim grabbed the robot's head to hold him in place. Alex took the part and quickly attacked the wires where they needed to be, before clipping the piece in place.

"One memory circuit, coming right up." She said with a grin as they stepped back. The robot reeled for a moment or two.

"Hello! You know Jim; I was just thinking…I was just…think…oh! It's all flooding back! All my memories! Right up until Flint pulled out my memory circuits so I couldn't tell anyone about his booby trap!" Alex, who had been smiling in happiness for the robot, felt her grin slip away. A large boom sounded overhead, drawing their eyes upwards. "Speaking of which…"

Overhead, Alex could see the ceiling cracking. She gasped as a rumble went through the gold beneath the boat, throwing them all off balance for a moment. A sudden explosion nearby was the last straw.

"Flint wanted to make sure that nobody stole his treasure, so he rigged the entire planet to blow higher than a Kalepsian Kite!" B.E.N. shouted as machinery overhead started falling and breaking apart the sphere of gold. At the center of the treasure moon there seemed to be a real core, hot enough that heat spilled out in waves. Treasure started spilling into the cracks to be lost forever. "We need to run!" the robot shouted, and Alex was inclined to agree. Jim spun to face the two, and Alex pulled her eyes from the falling debris.

"Go back and help the Captain and Doc!" he ordered, diving behind the steering wheel of the ship. "If I'm not there in five minutes, leave without me!"

"I'm not leaving without my buddy Jimmy!" B.E.N. shouted, pulling Jim out from under the switchboard by his feet. Jim sent him a death glare, holding two sparking wires. "Unless…he looks at me like that. Bye Jim!" The robot took off but Alex stayed, kneeling to see what Jim was trying to do.

"If you're trying to hotwire this thing, you're going to have to switch those two wires as well." She said, earning herself a second glare.

"Didn't I just say to get out of here?" he asked her. She replied with an innocent smile.

"Did you really expect me to listen?"

He grinned. "Not really."

"Right then. Switch the wires and unplug that fat green one in the corner. I'm going to fix the engine."

"How do you know it needs fixing?"

"It might not. But in any case, it's not getting any solar energy down here. I'll need to reroute the power cells!" she called over her shoulder as she jumped the three steps into the underbelly of the small ship. The engine was small and old, a model she knew by heart. She grinned and pulled up a creaking hatch on the side of it, making a face at what she saw. Three power cells were there, which would store the solar power as the sails gathered it. None of them were quite empty, but none of them had enough to actually start the engine either. A smile appeared once ore as she rearranged wired and adjusted the settings, making it so that the thrusters would draw on all three cells at a fraction of the energy cost. She was genius, if she said so herself.

Arriving back on deck, Jim saw her smile and repaid it in kind, hitting the switches to start the engine and fire the thrusters. Both cheered when an answering rumble filtered up through the floor, signaling that it was time to go.

"Well well well," they heard as Jim steered them towards the portal. Silver was climbing onboard. "Aren't the pair of ye the seventh wonder of the universe?" Jim left the wheel to grab a sword, holding it in the old cyborg's path. Alex grabbed the wheel to keep it going in the right direction, as they slowly lifted from the golden ground.

"Get back!" Jim ordered as Silver stopped short and glared.

"I like ye, lad. But I've come too far to let ye stand between me and me treasure." Jim backed up as Silver stepped forward, Alex's wide eyes on them. None of them noticed that one of the giant laser beams was nearing, eventually brushing the side of the boat. Even that small of a touch was like getting hit by a large asteroid. Everyone toppled over as the ship leaned perilously to the side, soon crashing into a giant metal pillar and sending them all flying.

Alex felt herself slide and bounce against the smooth metal of the ground, always heading to the edge. She scrambled for a handhold but couldn't find a purchase anywhere, eventually shrieking as she went right over the edge. Momentum carried her across the gap where she slammed into another wall, finally finding a block she could hang on to.

"Jim!" She gasped in terror, feeling that her handhold was slowly being pulled into the wall. She looked over her shoulder, spotting Jim hanging off the edge of the cliff face she'd slipped from. He pulled himself up and looked around, seemingly for her. He finally looked over the edge and spotted her, his own breath catching.

"Hang on!" he called, laying on his stomach and reaching as far as he could. Alex adjusted her hold , gripping the block with only her right hand as she reached her left towards the boy. "I can't reach!"

"Oh no you don't." she heard Silver grunt just out of sight. His hand reached from back further on the cliff, grabbing Jim's shirt and allowing the boy to lean further. Alex reached as far as she could, only inches between their outstretched fingers.

"Jim, I can't!" She cried, fear lacing her voice. She gasped and cried out in fear as her handhold finally grew too small for her fingers and she dropped again. She managed to catch herself on a second, smaller handhold, but she didn't know what the point was. Now she was too far away from her only hope of survival.

"No, Alex!" Jim shouted, half hanging over the cliff in an effort to get to her. Her quiet gasps went unheard as she struggled not to slip again, but her fingers ached. "Silver, please! Help me save her!" she heard Jim shout to the old pirate.

Silver groaned. "Oh blast me for a fool!" He gave in, sliding towards the cliff edge so he could lower Jim further down. Alex looked over her shoulder to see Jim just as her fingers gave out.

Only later would she be able to put together what had happened. Silver had released his hold on the ship of gold to hold Jim's legs, allowing the boy to reach her without falling himself. She hadn't even had time to gasp before she fell again, and Jim had literally snatched her out of the air.

All she knew right then was that she was sobbing and falling when she stopped with a jerk. She felt a strong hand on her wrist and then Jim's arms pulling her to safety atop the metal cliff. She gasped and coughed for breath as Jim pulled her into a hug. Even in the midst of all the destruction, she felt her heart skip a beat.

"Thanks." She whispered as he let her go. An intense emotion in his eyes made her breath catch in her throat, but another explosion distracted her. The ship that they'd fixed had been severed in two by the giant laser beam, exploding the engine. Jim threw himself over her to shield her from flying debris as best as he could. A sliver of flying wood sliced her thigh, but she didn't even notice it. The next thing she knew, Silver was pulling them to their feet and leading the way to the portal, jumping through to the surface of the planet.

Jim stared at the pirate even as he caught his breath. "Silver, you gave up-?"

"Just a lifelong obsession Jim, I'll get over it." Silver said with a nonchalant wave of his hand. Alex didn't believe him for an instant, but there was no time.

"We have to go!" she insisted, turning to search for the longboat.

"Go where?" Silver asked, looking around as well. A shout overhead made all three of them look up.

"Aloha Jimmy!" They spotted B.E.N. waving from up on the deck of the Legacy. "Hurry people!" he went on as the ship lowered further, soon hovering right beside the cliff. "We have exactly two minutes and thirty-four seconds until planet's destruction!" The three on the ground shared look before running to the cliff's edge, clambering over the railing as the vessel bumped the edge with a crunch. They were all more than ready to get out of here.

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Sorry about the wait guys, its been a crazily insane time for me lately! In the past week alone, I've been to a water park, gone bowling, hosted dessert night for friends, gone camping, and gotten a crush on a guy. It's a lot =P_

_I can still use help on the inspiration front though, so be sure to review and tell me what you thought of the chapter!_

_Your giggly Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Alex gladly sank to the deck of the ship as the Legacy flew up and away from the cliff side. She was glad of it too, whoever was steering had no idea what it was they were doing. Had she been standing, she would have fallen over. She looked up to the wheel and spotted…Delbert? What was he doing? She chuckled to herself when she heard the Captain giving the Doctor orders, trying to tell him what to do. Of course, she was injured, she couldn't steer herself.

As Delbert controlled the wheel, B.E.N. was doing the navigational jobs he was built to do, and doing them all surprisingly fast. She never would have suspected that the clumsy mess of a robot would actually be good at his job, but it was a pleasant surprise.

As she mused about the past few minutes, Silver went halfway up the steps, calling compliments to the Captain. She, however, would have none of it.

"Save that claptrap for the judge, Silver." She ordered, going back to ordering Delbert about. Alex bit her lip and glanced at the pirate who sagged a bit at the firm shut down. But…she didn't want him to be sent off to jail!

The realization made her blink in surprise. Yes, Silver had done some…not very nice things to her in the past. But in the end, he'd chosen to save her life rather than get the treasure he's spent years searching for. He hadn't let anything get in the way of him reaching his dream, until it had come to her. Despite all the bad things he'd done…she hated the idea of him being trapped in a jail somewhere for the rest of his life. And pirates were not very well liked, and thus not treated very well.

She was jolted from her thoughts when something hit the ship's largest sail, and the entire crossbeam it was attached to fell. She barely rolled out of the way before it crashed to the floor where she'd just been sitting, smashing one of the laser canons in the process. Even as she gasped for air after her fright, she could feel the speed of the ship lowering significantly. The floor beneath her vibrated louder, telling her of the effort the engine was expelling.

"Mizzen sail demobilized Captain." B.E.N. reported. "Thrusters at only thirty percent capacity."

Alex's eyes shot up to the wheel, where she watched for Delbert's reaction. The Captain was good, but she didn't doubt the doctor was quicker with such problems.

"But that means…we'll never clear the planet's explosion in time." He finally said

"We gotta turn around." Jim told them as he reached Alex's side. He helped her to her feet as the others stared at him.

"What?" Amelia exclaimed, getting to her feet for the sole purpose of glaring at the boy.

"There's a portal back there, it can get us outta here!" Jim leapt over the fallen crossbeam to the broken laser canon, pulling it apart even further.

"Pardon me, Jim," Delbert said, losing his calm. "But didn't that portal open upon a raging inferno?"

"Yeah, but I'm gonna change that. I'm gonna open a different door." He wrenched a long, flatish piece of metal from the demolished canon and grabbed the power core. At once Alex saw what he was doing, but she also knew it wouldn't work. She had a better idea.

"Hang on Jim, I've got something better!" she called, turning and running for the nearest set of stairs. She rushed past the engine and the long boats, and finally found the canvas covered lump she was looking for. She swept it away to reveal her solar bike, the one Delbert had snuck aboard the ship for her. She'd been working on it whenever she got the chance. It wasn't in perfect shape, but it had to be better than a quickly strapped together machine like Jim was trying. She knelt and blew on the control panel to free it of dust, flipping the engine on to its lowest setting. It was just enough to lift it from the ground, where it floated at the perfect height for her to climb on. She didn't yet, simply walking it back up onto the deck.

She emerged to discover that Jim was gone, already shooting off towards the portal on his makeshift surfer. She whispered a soft curse to herself – one couldn't live among pirates without learning a few creative ones – and rushed to the railing.

"Why'd he leave?"

"No time t' wait." Silver told her, his eyes not leaving the boy. She watched Jim fly along, hoping his plan would work. All too soon however, she saw the engine sputter a bit and the board wobble dangerously. "He's not going t' make it!" Silver gave voice to her thoughts. "The engine was too damaged!"

Alex didn't even stop to reassure the man, spinning to her solar bike and hopping on. She threw open the throttle and zoomed after the boy, not having to wait long before catching up with him. His dying engine was so low on power he had almost no speed at all.

"Jim!" she called as she came up beside him. He glanced at her and grinned, easily leaping from the wobbling board and into the seat behind her.

"Don't slow down, we've gotta hurry!"

"I know." She assured him, pressing a button on the control panel. An extra boost of power shot through the bike so hard that it shuttered, throwing them forward at almost twice its normal speed. She'd never tested the booster before, and whooped now as it worked beautifully.

Obstacles filled the path before them, and she easily looped and spun around them. For the first time, she was glad for all the dangerous practice Jim had forced her through in those off limit mining facilities. Without them, she'd be a nervous wreck right about now.

The booster power slowed them down, though it was no surprise. It wasn't supposed to last too long, it would shake the mechanism apart otherwise. However, a dangerous side effect was revealed when the entire engine died along with the lack of extra power. Momentum only carried them so far, and soon they were falling straight down into a crevasse in the earth.

"What happened?" Jim asked in her ear.

"The boost killed the engine!" She told him, flipping the starter switch with no result. "It even sucked the power from the starter kick!"

"Can you start it up again?"

"I need a spark." She explained, fearfully examining her options even as they fell.

"The wall!" Jim shouted. "Use the wall!"

For a split second Alex didn't know what he was talking about, but then the idea bloomed. Together they used their weight and spin the bike around, the thruster at the back of the bike grinding along the wall and sparking like crazy. Alex hit the starter switch over and over, and finally, one of them caught. The engine exploded with life and the bike shot forwards, and she quickly steered them straight up. Jim gripped her waist, tensing when they spotted the Legacy flying right past them over the crevasse. They'd caught up…they only had seconds to spare now. Alex did a quick little flip when they emerged from the crack in the planet, shooting them towards the portal once more.

"You'll have to hit the destination, I've gotta steer!" she shouted to Jim, over the whistling of the wind in their ears. She couldn't hear him if he did answer, but his arms tightened around her waist in determination.

From the Legacy, she could hear B.E.N.'s countdown to the planet's detonation. She gritted her teeth as he hit three, and the teens passed by the ship. On two, Jim released her, leaning over as far to the right as he could. And on the robot's shout of "One!" both solar bike and ship zoomed through the portal just as it changed from the exploding interior of the planet. Only a small bit of the blast followed them through the portal, quickly cut off as the portal itself was destroyed.

All at once, fear and determination were replaced with giddy triumph in Alex's mind, and she let a smile spread across her face. She and Jim whooped and cheered, flying around the ship. Her heart was far too light to stand on the solid deck just yet! They were alive, and she had never felt more so!

Jim leaned over and slapped Silver's good hand as they flew over the deck, then the boy leapt off. Alex did one last loop over the rigging before she too came down to the deck, letting the poor tired engine cool off as she stepped to the scorched wood of the once pristine deck. She looked about the ship to try and pinpoint their location, wondering what Jim had managed to get them to in the split second he'd had. To her surprise, the crescent shaped Montressor Spaceport was only a short distance away. They were home.

As she tugged on her skirt and pushed up her sleeves, Captain Amelia and Delbert spoke to Jim. Amelia was considering recommending Jim to the Interstellar Academy when a certain excited blob slapped her face. Alex giggled and cuddled Morph happily, letting him lick her fingers and face. He'd stayed behind when she'd run to get her bike, and now was as happy as ever to see her alive. As he finally started to calm, Alex moved to speak with Jim, Amelia and Delbert.

"Just wait until your mother hears about this!" Delbert was exclaiming. "Although we may downplay the life threatening parts."

Alex grinned. "That would be best." She admitted, letting Morph roll over her fingers and onto her shoulder. "I don't think she'd ever let us leave the Inn again if we told her everything."

"But we can certainly let you two boast a bit!" Delbert added with a grin. "Jim's piloting and quick thinking. And Alex, you were spectacular as well! I had no idea you were such a fantastic pilot!"

Alex shook her head. "I'm not." She insisted. "I'll stick with mechanics I think."

"Something you are already most excellent at." Amelia said with a stiff nod of approval. "I don't doubt you'll easily find a job as a mechanic when you're ready to." Alex felt her cheeks warm as the two adults walked off, discussing their plans for the teens. She turned to ask Jim if he'd head off to the fancy school, and blinked to find him gone.

"Jim?" she asked, turning to look about her. The boy wasn't on deck. And…neither was Silver. She bit her lip, she had a feeling she knew where both of them were. No doubt Silver was taking advantage in the Captain's momentary distraction and using it to escape.

"Should I stop it?" she whispered to Morph, then turned to see that he was gone as well. She sighed sadly. He was more Silver's friend than hers, she should have known better. She still didn't have an answer either. _Should_ she stop him?

Wavering on the brink, she decided she'd go and confront the man before deciding… With that she turned and went to the stairs, tiptoeing down them and towards the lifeboat. Just as she'd suspected, Silver was there, talking to Jim.

"If ye don't mind, we'd just as soon avoid prison, Jimbo." He was saying. "Little Morphy 'ere, he's a free spirit. Bein' in a cage…it'd break his heart."

Alex smiled softly to herself, already knowing exactly what she would do. Not a single bit of doubt rested in her mind as she stepped out of the shadows, hitting the lever to open the hatch beneath the boat even as Jim knelt to untie it. Jim grinned at her over his shoulder, though Silver looked rather surprised. She smiled at him.

"You saved my life. And you gave up that precious treasure of yours to do so." She said with a shrug, as if that explained everything. And in her mind, it did. Silver seemed to understand, giving her a sweeping bow in thanks.

"Ye have me thanks, Rosie." He said, plopping his hat back on his head.

She grinned at him and nodded, taking a small step back. She knew that she and Silver would never be close. At least not for a very long time. But Jim? He still had a close tie to the man. Unlike Alex, he'd been able to see the man's good side for most of this trip, and that had left a larger imprint than the two days of betrayal. Alex was happy for him. He'd finally found a father figure he could look up to, and even learn from. She couldn't possibly deny him the right to a good farewell.

"What say ye ship out with us lad?" he asked Jim. Alex's breath hitched, but she didn't say a word. This was Jim's choice after all. If he chose to leave…she wouldn't have the heart to stop him. She simply looked at her shoes, focusing on the many cuts and bruises dotting her legs where her leggings had torn. She didn't see Jim glance back at her and grin before turning back to Silver.

"You know, when I got on this boat I would've taken you up on that offer in a second. But I met this old cyborg, and he taught me that I could chart my own course. And that's what I'm gonna do." Alex breathed a sigh of relief, and didn't notice Jim's grin grow a fraction.

"And what did ye see of that pal o' yours?"

"A future." Jim said, looking up at his friend. Silver chuckled and shook his head.

"Why look at ye… Glowing like a solar fire. You're somethin' special Jim. You're gonna rattle the stars you are." He opened his arms and enveloped Jim into a hug, and even Alex had to sniffle a bit. She hated goodbyes. Morph seemed to as well, burst into tears and zooming to plop and sob against her throat.

"Oh Morph, it'll be alright. I'll see you again sometime, promise!" she whispered, not letting tears reach her own eyes. Morph was crying enough for the both of them. He floated away from her and nodded, kissing her nose sadly.

"See you." He warbled sadly, floating over to hang in the air by Silver's ear. The cyborg looked between the blob and the girl and grinned.

"Morphy, I got a job for ye." He said, making the blob brighten a bit. "I need you to keep an eye on this 'ere flower. Will you do me that little favor?"

Morph grinned in pleasure, pulling himself up tall and saluting him. "Aye-aye, Captain!" he promised in his small voice, before he happily flew back over to Alex.

The girl greeted Morph as if she hadn't seen him in days, sending a –slightly watery – smile in Silver's direction. She couldn't even find the words, but he didn't seem to mind. Her smile was reward enough.

"Oh by the by, this is for your dear mother." Silver said as he hopped into the longboat. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a handful of coins and gems, tossing them to Jim. "To rebuild that Inn of 'er's!" Silver winked at them as the longboat lowered.

"Stay out of trouble, you old scalawag." Jim said with a wry grin.

"Why Jimbo, lad." Silver called back, pretending to be offended. "When 'ave I ever done otherwise?" He laughed and dropped away from the ship, flying away with a wave. The teens smiled and watched as he flew out of sight before sharing a look.

"Ready to go home?" she asked her best friend as she reached out and hit the lever to close the hatch once more.

"You know what Alex? I think I am." He said with a grin. She smiled back as he linked his arm with hers and tugged her towards the stairs. "What about you?"

"Very ready." She admitted. "I love being out in space, but I'll appreciate a few days of no work." She sighed happily as a dreamy smile overtook her features. "Imagine…no dirty dishes, no scrubbing floors, no boiling the laundry of an entire crew… Bliss."

Jim laughed as they reached the deck. "Not quite yet. We have to clean this place up first." The pair looked over the deck with a wince. The cross beam from the mizzen sail was still smoldering on the deck. The wooden floorboards were scorched and scratched all over the place. Alex didn't doubt that things all over the ship had toppled from their shelves as well. It was a disaster.

"Wonderful." She grumbled. "At least we don't have to fly all the way back though."

Jim chuckled and tugged a lock of hair beside her face. "Silver lining?"

"Silver lining." She replied with a smile.

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_What's this? I'm a day early? My goodness, I am! Though it's just cuz I know I'm going to be super busy in the upcoming days and will likely forget to update otherwise =P Wednesday night I ay have a party, thursday night I'll be making desserts and then in line for the HP movie's midnight showing, friday I'll be packing, and Saturday I'm leaving for Spain! Woot! Don't worry though, I'll have internet there, so I'll be able to post the next few chapters as well =P I just need to get some more written -.- I have the next two finished, so we should be good until I get home._ _I'll make sure to finish one more on one of my days off or something, lol._

_Anyways, PLEASE review and tell me what you thought! I really really wanna know what people think! Also, for anyone wondering, the story doesn't end with the movie. I keep going, describing events that come after the credits are over, you you'll have quite a bit of new stuff if you stick with me :P_

_Your bumbling Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Arriving back at the Montressor docks was a strange experience as far as Alex was concerned. After everything that happened, it felt like she was returning to a distant childhood memory. The gravity of the port replaced that of the ship, and Alex was sure it must be a fraction stronger. It took a little more effort than she was used to to do her chores and even lift her feet and walk. The breeze here was strong and cool, and filled with so many scents and sounds that it felt like her senses were on overload. The Etherium didn't really have any smells. And Treasure Planet was been damp and earthy, but clean. And both had been more quiet, as they'd been the only noisy life forms nearby as they'd sailed and tramped about in the jungle. The port city was different. Smells of foods from across the galaxies wafted by, shouts in all different languages reached her ears, and there was so much going on it felt like her eyes would fall out.

It was just as strange as her first visit to the port, only in an entirely different way. The hustle and bustle was almost comforting now, whereas before it had made her nervous.

She didn't have much time for people watching though. The moment they'd tied up the ship to the dock, officials had arrived with mounds of paperwork. Amelia and Delbert were holed up in the Captain's stateroom trying to get it all done, leaving everything else to the teens.

Jim skipped down to the docks to have a message sent to Sarah first, so that she could come and meet them. Alex thought it was adorable how eager he was to see his mother again. While he was gone, a number of dock hands arrived to help with the clean up, and she quickly put them to work doing the jobs she didn't want to do herself, like cleaning up the fallen machinery on deck and scrubbing the scorch marks away. Meanwhile, she made her way to the engine, where she fixed any damage done from Delbert's bad driving.

As they all worked, Jim happily told the tale of their adventure to anyone who would listen, not even having to exaggerate it to make it interesting. The pirates in the brig were handed over to the authorities as well, though Alex noticed that neither Delbert nor Amelia made any mention of the missing John Silver.

Alex made a small lunch as the local clocks chimed noon, and they all gathered at a single table in the mess hall to eat. It felt so empty with most of the crew gone. Once the food was gone, everyone went back to work.

Sarah didn't arrive until late in the evening, seeing as she'd been forced to wait for the bus between the desert planet and the port city. It was Alex who spotted her searching the crowds on the dock. She called to Jim who was working up at the control panel, and laughed as he hopped right over the railing and ran to the dock. Alex followed him at a slower pace, along with Morph who hadn't left her alone since Silver had left. Once Jim pulled out of his mother's hug, Alex happily stepped forward to take his place.

Hugging Sarah was the final hint that they were back. She still smelled of sweat pea and vanilla, she her arms were wonderfully warm. Even Alex couldn't keep her eyes from filling a bit at the reunion.

Morph was glad to lighten the mood, coming up to Sarah's face in greeting as Alex pulled back. The woman laughed and Jim grinned, giving Alex a spare moment to blink her eyes furiously until her tears were under control again. Then she joined Jim in pulling Sarah up to the ship, where they proceeded to give her the full tour as they told their story once more.

The night was spent on the ship, seeing as waiting to hand in the paperwork was cheaper than renting rooms in one of the nearby inns. Alex didn't mind though. She wanted the time to say goodbye to her home of the last few months.

It was rather bittersweet. Her memories here…well frankly many of them were awful. Her loneliness and exhaustion still seemed to take up most of the recollections of her time spent in the galley. Only recent memories were happier. Listening to Silver's stories as they cooked together. Spending time with Jim as they kept watch in the crow's nest. Flying about in the longboat after her birthday party.

And the boat itself had carried them through a lot of rough spots. She thought back to when that star had gone supernova, and how it had carried them to safety as the surrounding planet had exploded. And that lovely engine… Yes, she'd miss the Legacy like an old friend.

She smiled as she shut the door to the galley for the last time. Some of this journey hadn't been fun…but she'd remember it with fondness thanks to her friends. And she had to admit… that little taste of adventure had only made her crave more. She may have to look into jobs as an engineer on ships so she could see more of the galaxy.

But all that could wait. For now, she just wanted to be here at home. She plopped the hat the Captain had given her for her birthday on her – slightly tangled – hair, grabbed her bag, and followed the others down the gangplank to the docks. There, they said goodbye to Captain Amelia. The woman was high enough rank in the Interstellar Navy that she was able to choose her own assignments, but she still had to report to her superiors on the events that had transpired. Jim and Alex sent her cheerful goodbyes, though Delbert's was a bit awkward. Alex was grinning about it for ages once they parted ways.

Only a short time later, they were piling onto the bus and flying back to the main planet. There, Delbert's faithful Delilah waited for them, stabled up beside the buggy. Delbert and Sarah took the main seat, while Alex and Jim plopped on the extra bench on the back. They didn't get shade from the hot sun, but neither of them minded. After the mostly sunless days and the damp Treasure Planet, their desert home was a paradise.

They arrived at Delbert's house to find that Sarah had organized a small welcome home party for them all. The hired cook had whipped up a wonderful meal, complete with three different pies for dessert. Neither Jim nor Alex had any of the purp pie, they'd had more than enough of the purple fruit in the past months.

"So what will you do now Sarah?" Delbert asked the woman as they all settled into armchairs around the fireplace. The woman shook her head.

"I'm not sure." She admitted. "Without the treasure… I think we'll get an apartment in town. Perhaps we can start up an eating house?"

"No need." Jim said with a grin, pulling out the handful Silver had given him and dropping them on the small end table. The coins fell with gentle plinks and the two small gems with small thuds. Sarah's eyes were as rounds as the coins she stared at.

"But…the treasure…"

"Most of it melted." Jim assured her. "But Silver…he managed to snag a small reward for our trouble."

Sarah hopped up from her seat and swept over to her son, kissing his cheek. "And you didn't think to say something before?"

"'Course not." Jim replied with a smirk as she sat down.

"That's enough to build the Benboe again, easily! Maybe we could even afford better appliances…and save some to hire an extra hand."

"Why stop there?" Alex asked. The others glanced at her and she bit back a smile as she reached into her bag. The handful of treasures she'd absently grabbed back before the trap had gone off more than doubled the pile of treasure Jim had offered. "We can make it bigger and better!" she said, her blue eyes sparkling and her lips pulled into a wide smile.

Jim stared at her and she giggled. "What, aren't I allowed to have a few tricks up my sleeve?" His reply was to lift her out of her chair and swing her around in circles.

So much happened over the next few months that it all seemed to melt into a blur. Only a few things really stood out to Alex. She remembered sitting with Sarah as the woman hired some men to build the new inn. She remembered talking with the architect about what they would need as far as both guest rooms and apartments for those who worked there. She remembered basically taking charge of the engineers who came to wire the house for power. She knew more than they did about how to best maximize their energy usage. The building of the Inn was time consuming, but worth it. It would be triple the size it had been before, with the best tools in the kitchen and enough hired hands that Sarah would never have to be a waitress again.

She remembered Delbert and Amelia's wedding, it was wonderfully bright blur in the midst of the Inn's construction. There was dancing and singing, and the best cake Alex had ever eaten! She and Jim had spent a good portion of the reception sneaking cake to Morph until he turned white and sneaking away to look through the Doctor's giant telescope. Soon after the big event, the couple announced that their first litter was already on the way. Amelia wasn't quite ready to settle into the role of a house wife, and probably couldn't even if she tried. Instead she accepted a teaching position at the Academy instead. Even then, Alex knew the job would come second to her children. Amelia's motherly side was softer than Alex had ever seen her be.

And…most vividly, she remembered the day Jim left. After the Captain's recommendation to the Interstellar Academy, he'd gotten a foot in the door without any fuss. He had to leave to do some preliminary tests and summer classes, to see if he could really get in. Alex didn't doubt he'd make it without any trouble. He wasn't the most ambitious student, but when he set his mind to it he could be really smart. And she didn't doubt that his piloting skills would blow everyone else away.

But it meant that he would be gone for three whole months. She'd walked Jim to the ship in town which would take him to the school, the pair chatting away as if nothing was wrong.

"It won't be that long." He promised her softly when they arrived, the pilot taking his bag. She shook her head, her throat too constricted to form actual words. A single tear escaped her control, rolling down her cheek. Jim smiled softly and palmed her face, wiping the tear away with his thumb.

"I'll be back before you know it." He told her, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "You're so busy with the inn; you won't even realize I'm not around."

She chuckled softly and gave him a wry grin. "I could never be that distracted." She managed to whisper.

He grinned. "I'll see you soon, Alex." He whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek and turning to climb the gangplank onto the small ship.

"Bye." She whispered as the engines softly rumbled to life, the ship lifting from the dock.

The walk home was very lonely…though she barely remembered it through the tears which kept escaping her eyes.

Finally, the blur came to an end as the Inn was finished. Alex and Sarah had a wonderful time choosing bedding and decorations for the guest rooms, and furnishing the common room with plenty of tables and places where guests could sit and eat. The day of the opening ceremony arrived and the ladies spent most of it making sure the party was all set up. Finally dressing up for the big evening later on, Alex pulled out a new dress she'd had made a few days before. She'd secretly been hoping until Jim was back to wear it…but this event was as important as any she supposed.

They gathered with the crowd in front of the new inn, where a number of photographers lined up before the red ribbon across the door. Alex and Sarah posed while Morph spun himself into a pair of scissors and cut through. The event would be in the papers all over the planet, and likely elsewhere as well. Alex suspected that their client base would probably double in size in the next few months alone.

Everyone filtered inside and the party began. A band in one corner played lively music and soon people were dancing. The biggest cake Alex had ever made was cut and served by B.E.N. Despite his tendency to be on the klutzy side, he didn't drop a crumb. Alex was grateful, she and Sarah had spent hours decorating it the day before.

Delbert and Amelia, brand new parents, were happily showing off their litter to anyone who dared talk to them. Morph had taken his post as baby sitter, the wide eyed blob watching their every move. As much fun as Alex was having with the other guests, she couldn't help but spend time with the little cuties.

The party had been in full swing for an hour when the door suddenly banged open. Standing there were the police bots Alex was all too familiar with. They'd caught Jim flying in restricted areas so many times, she even recognized their ID numbers. What were they here for now? Did the new Inn violate some sort of building code? She knew it wasn't the wiring, she'd done that herself and knew it was the best it could be. She'd just stepped forward to ask them when the bots parted, revealing-

"Jim?" Her voice barely came out as a squeak and she coughed slightly. It was Jim! He was all dressed in his new Academy school uniform, and his hair had been cut. In Alex's eyes, he'd never looked more handsome. Even so…she wasn't entirely sure how to act around this new Jim. He looked to…responsible and mature. She cheered along with everyone else, but stepped back into the shadows, feeling unsure.

Jim circled the room slowly, constantly being stopped by people offering their congratulations or asking about his plans for the future. His mother kept coming over to gloat or offer him snacks of all shapes and sizes. He was loving the attention, but he was only looking for one person in particular.

He finally spotted her in a corner, talking with Delbert and Amelia. She was wearing a dress he'd never seen before, in a pretty deep russet red. Every time she so much as shifted, the skirts flowed about her ankles. A darker red sash wrapped around her waist, tying in a bow behind her. Her hair was pinned up and carefully curled, leaving her eyes free to shine. After three months without her, seeing her look so pretty practically stole his breath away.

He went over the say hello to them, earning a handshake from the Doctor and congratulations from Amelia. The two were quick to introduce their new three daughters and son, and Jim politely complimented them. Alex didn't say a word through the whole exchange, and he wondered what was wrong. Finally, he simply held out his arm to her, and she hesitantly linked hers with it. He ignored any strange looks and led her right out the front door.

"Congratulations, Jim." Alex finally whispered as they reached the new gazebo on the large wooden porch. He chuckled and spun her around to face him.

"Oh come on, is that it?" he asked with a grin. "I've been gone for ages and that's all I get?"

That statement alone blew Alex's fears away. Fancy haircut and uniform aside, this was still her Jim. She beamed and flung her arms around his neck, laughing aloud when he lifted her feet from the ground to hug her back.

"I really do mean it though." She teased when he released her. "I'm proud of you."

The boy rolled his eyes, though they sparkled at her. "And I'm proud of you, this place looks fantastic!"

Alex's smile took on a slightly mischievous tilt. "You know…the architect put a few secret passages in." she said slyly. Jim grinned.

"Oh really?"

"Yup. I told him not to tell me what they were though…so we'll have to find them."

Jim easily picked up on the hint. "Well Alexandra, would you care to join me in ditching the party?"

Alex linked her arm with him once more, beaming happily. "Why thank you James, I do believe I would."

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_I'm late! I'm sorry, I tried to be good and post on time, but apparently that failed. Though...now I have to wonder if it is late, the days here all sort of run together ^^; Spain is wonderful, digging is tiring and I'm sore from using the pick ax, but it's so cool! I found a Roman coin today, from Late Antiquity, so I'm totally stoked :D_

_And I know, the kiss STILL hasn't happened! Trust me, the wait will be worth it, I've basically been setting up this kiss scene for six or seven years now =P_

_Please review and tell me what you think! I know it was just kind of a blah chapter, but I'd still like to know =P_

_Your very sore Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Jim grabbed Alex's hand, pulling her around to the back door to the kitchen. The pair snuck through, ducking behind tables to avoid the busy cooks, not wanting to be seen. Neither had a real reason to sneak around in such a manner, but it did make the whole thing feel a bit more exciting.

"Where should we look first?" Jim whispered to her as they peered around the doorframe into the main room.

Alex chewed on her lip as she thought. "In here." She finally decided. "Maybe there's one which will let us avoid the main room? I think I remember spotting something odd on the floor plans before someone took them away from me."

Jim nodded, creeping around the room and staying hidden from the two cooks, who seemed busy with making more punch for the partygoers. "It has to be a wall without windows." He breathed, looking at the two interior walls. Alex nodded and followed his gaze, raising an eyebrow when she noticed a cabinet that hadn't been there before.

"Over here." She whispered, leading the way to the corner where the new cabinet was. She'd never really noticed it before, hadn't even thought about it. But looking at it now, she realized that she had no idea what was inside. She knew the rest, including that the cabinet beside it held large pots for soups and stews.

She reached the spare cabinet and tugged at the door, it refused to open. "This has to be it." She reached up to the handle and tugged again. Nothing happened. She frowned and Jim grinned at her.

"Some mechanic you are." He teased, reaching up himself. Rather than pulling the handle, he turned it. It opened with ease and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well someone thinks they're oh-so-smart after some time at the Academy."

"Nah, just smarter than you." He retorted good naturedly, slipping into the cabinet. Alex grumbled to herself even as she hid a smile, following him before the cook noticed them. She quickly shut the door and swallowed a bit nervously as the small area went black, before Jim pulled a match from his pocket and lit it. Alex spotted a candle stub – kindly left for them by the architect she suspected – and grabbed it, letting Jim light the wick.

"Well…I think we found it." She grinned, looking past him. Behind Jim, where the wall was supposed to be, was a very thin staircase. "It's between the walls!"

"Awesome." Jim grinned, taking the candle stub and leading the way up. Alex followed him, climbing the staircase as it twisted and turned about. She was just wondering if it would ever end when they reached the top. The wall before them contained a small handle and Jim twisted it and pushed. The pair practically tumbled out, finding themselves in the living area on the top floor. Sarah, Jim and Alex all had their rooms directly off of it; it was a small apartment for just them, a place to call home.

"This is perfect!" Alex said with a grin. "We can get to the kitchen without having to sneak past the guest rooms!" Jim grinned and nodded, closing the secret door. A wall sconce beside it popped out into place as it latched shut. The boy pushed it back in and the door popped open once more.

"Come on, let's find some more." The boy said with a grin as he shut the door once more. Alex smiled and followed him, more than happy to spend time with just Jim.

Exploring the Inn proved to be very exciting, despite the fact that Alex knew it so well by now. After living here for three months, she hadn't thought things could still be exciting. But to Jim, who had yet to see the place all finished, it was just as wonderful as seeing it for the first time herself. The boy marveled at the lovely paint work Sarah had done on the living room. The woman had locked herself away there for two whole days just painting a pretty swirling design which grew across the walls and framed the doorways. He had a grand time using the fancy dimming lights Alex had installed, flicking them brighter and dimmer like there was no tomorrow.

Amidst the tour, the pair managed to find a few more secret passages and shortcuts. Some of them were simple closets which blended in perfectly with the wall, perfect for cleaning supplies and extra linens. Others proved to be more exciting, like a secret balcony hidden in the roof. The door to which was in the back of a closet in their small apartment upstairs. Alex knew Jim would spend a good deal of time up there, having loved the roof of the old inn so much.

Finally, Alex deemed it time to return to the party. Jim complained until Alex reminded him of the many snacks and refreshments to be munched on, and told him they could take the secret staircase down to the kitchens rather than the main one. The promise of getting to use the passage was more than enough to make him smile and lead the way.

"How long do you think it'll last?" he asked as they made their way down the skinny staircase.

"It can't be too much longer." Alex mused. "It's rather late already, and most of our guests don't seem to be the type to want to stay up too late."

"Good, I'm exhausted. Training this morning was brutal."

"Training?" Alex repeated. "I thought you were done?"

"Nope, just taking a little time off. The school year starts week after next."

Alex slowed, nodding though she knew he wouldn't see. "Already?"

"I'm afraid so." He looked back at her as he reached the end of the stairs, frowning at the look on her face. "Alex, it won't be that bad."

"Hmm? Oh, I know. Really, I do." She whispered. She shook her head, blinking furiously and wondering why her eyes seemed determined to spill over. "This dust is terrible…I'll need to clean this thing up a bit."

"Alex…" he whispered. "It's okay."

"Of course it is, who said it wasn't?" Her voice was a tad defensive, but the boy knew it was only because she was trying to hide her feelings behind harshness.

"It won't be as bad as this summer." He promised. "We have weekends off so I'll be coming home all the time."

Alex didn't reply for a moment, brushing at a streak of dust on her skirt. "Really?" she finally looked up, and Jim felt his whole body trill at the hopeful look in her eyes.

"Really." He assured her, reaching up without a thought to brush a curl from her face. Her hair – so carefully pinned up earlier – had tumbled down around her shoulders. A dust bunny was caught in a loop that hadn't quite uncurled yet, and a brush of dust on her cheek betrayed the fact that she'd pushed her hair out of her eyes at some point.

And in Jim's eyes, she looked lovely. She was always pretty when she got all dressed up, but it when she was all dirty that she looked her prettiest. When she'd been having fun and not caring about how she looked. She never looked lovelier than when she was covered in grease and engine fluid, or when her hair had been tangled up by the wind after a flight on her solar bike and her cheeks were flushed from smiling so much.

She sent him a grin before pushing the cabinet door open, squeaking when the swinging door between the kitchen and the common room was pushed open a moment later. Jim grabbed her and pulled her back into their hiding place, not wanting to get caught.

"Jim? Alex?" It was Sarah. Apparently, she'd finally noticed their absence. "Oh those two, where did they go this time?"

Alex snorted softly as the woman tapped her foot, her heels clicking on the wood to tell them when she'd turned and left the kitchen once more.

"Apparently we sneak off too often." She whispered, amusement lacing her voice. Jim chuckled and nodded, though the light flowery scent of Alex's hair was seriously messing with his brain.

Alex glanced at him and finally seemed to notice their situation. The cabinet here they hid was barely large enough for the two of them, and they were forced to stand chest to chest. Jim had no complaints about the place at the moment. Alex – though she turned pink in the faint light of the flickering candle – didn't seem to mind too much either, as she didn't make any effort to leave.

"Jim, I…"

The boy raised an eyebrow at her as her voice faded out. "Yes?" he prompted, his own voice a faint whisper. He almost didn't notice when his arms lifted to plant his hands on either side of her. She sagged slightly against the wall, eyes locked with his and her breathing uneven.

"It's just…I don't…" she fumbled slightly.

"Don't what?"

She rolled her eyes, lips twitching towards a grin. "I don't know what I was going to say anymore."

Jim smirked a bit, leaning even closer. "Can't have been too important then."

"I suppose not." She breathed.

Though Jim had another reply ready, he didn't bother to use it. Instead his head lowered the final fraction needed in order to press his lips to hers. The result was far better than anything he could have said, and soon words fled his mind entirely.

Alex was certain she must be dreaming at first. This couldn't be real, there was no way that Jim Hawkins was kissing her right now. Jim, the bad boy who could easily get just about any girl he wanted if he tried. Jim, the boy she'd first met tangled up in a strange octopus type creature. Jim, her best friend of eight years now.

But…he was! His hands rested on the wall on either side of her, his wrists barely brushing her arms enough to give her goose bumps. She was fenced in, not that she would have ever dreamed of trying to get away. And by the stars, his lips! She'd been kissed before, a boy at school had once taken her out for an evening and had kissed her goodnight. But it had been nothing like this! This…this made her whole body hum and her very skin shiver with happiness.

He finally pulled back and she took a grateful breath as her eyes fluttered open. She didn't remember closing them… She looked up the slight distance to his face and found herself grinning. Jim looked almost comical, torn between being very pleased with himself and slightly worried. As if he was nervous he'd done something he shouldn't have.

"Oh come here, you idiot." She whispered, each hand coming up to pull his face back down to hers. The first kiss had been innocent and sweet. This one was less so. Jim didn't hesitate to move his hands from the wall to her waist to pull her closer. She returned the favor by snaking her arms around his neck.

"Alex? Jim?" Sarah's voice – only a few feet from them – made the pair jump. "Where are you?"

Alex felt a giggle bubbling up in her throat and quickly bit her lips together. Jim gave her a look to stay quiet, but that of course only made it worse. She quickly covered her face with her hands and a softly chuckling Jim pulled her into a hug.

"Jim?"

"Right here, Mom." Jim finally replied with a laugh. He pushed open the cabinet door just in time to see the woman jump a hand's length off the floor as she spun to face them.

"Jim! What are you doing in there?" the woman exclaimed, trying to hide the tone of shock in her voice.

"It's a secret passage!" Alex said with a grin, hopping out of the cabinet after Jim. "It goes all the way upstairs."

In a manner very like her son's, Sarah's eyes grew curious and she peered through the cabinet doorway. "Really? Where upstairs?"

"Our living room." Jim told her with a grin.

"That's wonderful! No more tiptoeing past- oh stop it you two, we're missing the party." Sarah interrupted herself, looking the pair over. "And you're covered in dust, the pair of you. And Alex, you're hair! You two get cleaned up and come back out and be sociable or I'll put you two on cleanup duty." She threatened before she left. Alex didn't mind the orders, the woman's eyes had been too full of amusement to take her seriously.

Alex reached up a hand and felt that her hair had come out of its carefully pinned up-do. "Oh bullocks." She grumbled, tugging the dust bunny from her curls and twisting them once more.

"Don't bother." Jim chuckled, pulling her hands away from where they patted at her hair. The red brown waves unrolled once more, spilling down her back. It took all of his self control to not run his fingers through it. In exchange, he gave into the urge to kiss her once more.

"You are proving to be very distracting." She complained lightly when he pulled back again. He smirked.

"Years of practice."

She replied with a smirk of her own. "And I've had a good deal of practice myself. In keeping you out of trouble." She circled him, slapping dust from his clothes where she found it. When she was done, she grabbed his hand, tugging him to the door. "Now come on, let's get back to the celebration."

"Alright alright." He laughed, letting her pull him through the swinging doors. "But in exchange, you owe me a dance."

She grinned at him, another stray curl hanging before her left eye. "I thought you'd never ask."

He replied with a smirk as a lively song started up. "We better be quick, we actually know this one." He said, making her laugh as he twirled her out onto the dance floor. He released her hand only to bow low, and she dipped a curtsy in return. They linked arms and danced between the row of dancers that had formed, where he twirled her into place at the end of it. They each stood in their respective row, clapping with the music as Delbert spun Amelia artfully onto the dance floor, dipping her low. Alex laughed at the sight of the pair and glanced to their corner. Their four babies were being watched over by a large-eyed Morph so the grownups could have a little fun.

The party went on and on, and soon Alex felt that she'd spoken with more people in the last two hours than she had in her entire life. People she'd never even met before were coming up to compliment her on the completed Inn, though she had no idea why. A few young men attending even flirted with her a bit, though she was usually quick to ditch them the moment she could distract them. The only one she agreed to dance with was Jim, who wasn't nearly so annoying.

When the crowd finally started to get to her – it seemed that the guests had been arriving all evening and none of them were leaving – she slipped away and outside to the large porch. There she wandered to the gazebo once more, watching the stars twinkle in the vast sky.

"What color is it tonight?"

She smiled at Jim's voice, feeling like a silly love-struck loon. The fact that he'd followed her rather than stay and party made her heart swell with happiness.

"It looks almost red." She said, inspecting the sky. It was never the same two nights in a row. "Except for that big blue patch over there." She nodded towards the east as Jim slipped his arms around her waist. She felt no nervousness, only comfort as she leaned back against his chest. It was so new and strange, and yet it felt like the most natural thing in the universe.

"Jim?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're back."

She felt his lips on her forehead and smiled. "Me too." He whispered in her ear, holding her close. She gladly let him, smiling serenely out at the sky. She would always remember tonight as being one of the best in her life. How could it not be? Tonight was the night everything finally fell into place. Everything made sense, everything was good. And in her mind, things couldn't get much better than just standing in Jim's arms under the night sky. Everything was perfect.

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Oh my goodness, rereading this made ME all giggly and goofy! I hope you all enjoyed it even more! I've been planning this kiss scene for years now, It's wonderful to finally be able to share it, lol. On that note, sorry I'm so late! Things here have been so insane you have no idea._

_I know I always ask for reviews, but this time I'd really love for everyone to tell me what they thought! Kiss scenes are always a chellenge to keep interesting and different, so I'd really like to know how I did!_

_And just in case you're worried, this story isn't over yet! I have a ton more stuff planned, so keep your eye on the horizon for a new chapter soon!  
_

_Your Giggly Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"Alex?"

"Yeah?" Alex turned to look back to the main door of the inn, leaning on the broom she'd just been using. The inn had been in business for about two months now, but already they'd hired full time workers. They easily kept the inn clean and food on the tables all day long. Alex didn't really need to be doing chores anymore, but she was so bored!

"Any sign of Jim yet?" Sarah, half leaning out of an upstairs window, called to her.

"Nah." She called back, adjusting her grip on the handle of the broom. "But it's early yet. He's got to fly in from town still."

"Alright, be sure to let me know when he gets here, I want a nice family dinner tonight!"

Alex chuckled to herself and nodded, calling an affirmative. As Sarah got back to whatever she was doing, Alex decided she was even bored of sweeping. Someone must have done it earlier that day, scratching at the wooden porch wasn't doing anyone any good.

She sighed and yawned, resting the broom against the railing of the large parch and resting her elbows on the wood beside it. She needed to get out of here. At first, the work around the Inn had made the week fly by, to when Jim would come home again. But with the hired hands, she'd been left on her own more often than not. And frankly, she was tired of it. She needed to get a job or something, something to keep herself busy.

The sun inched its way down towards the horizon, passing by the many ships parked at the Inn's docks. The sunsets here were always breathtaking. The sunlight hit the dust in the air, breaking into rainbows and covering everything in multitudes of colors. She'd never get tired of it, she was sure.

Despite the beauty before her, it was the sound of footsteps behind her that made her smile. She didn't even have to turn around to know it was Jim. He didn't speak either, simply slipping his arms around her waist from behind. She leaned into his chest and he rested his chin on her head as they watched the sun set the rest of the way.

"Have a good week?" she asked as the rainbows filtered out of the air and the stars started to appear.

"I did, yeah. I think you'll like next week though."

"Huh?" Alex twisted a bit to look up at him. "How come?"

He grinned. "There's some formal party next Friday. We're allowed to bring guests from outside of school."

Alex smirked a bit. "Jim…are you actually asking me to go out with you? On a date?" He looked just unsure enough about it that she burst into giggles. "Well it's about time."

Jim had to laugh himself. "I figured it was, yeah. In two months, the closest we've had to a date is skipping chores and sneaking off to town last week. And I don't think that counts."

"Not so much, no." Alex's eyes flicked over the view before them. She could just see the lights of the village turning on as the darkness overtook the valley it was nestled in. "Just how formal is this dance supposed to be exactly?"

"Not _too_ fancy. I mean, we have to dress nice…but we don't need fancy suits or anything."

"Oh good." She breathed in relief. "I couldn't afford a fancy dress right now."

Jim's lips brushed her temple, making her smile. "It wouldn't matter…you could show up in your pajamas and still be the prettiest girl there." A snort was Alex's reply and he chuckled. "I'm serious!"

"Sure you are. Flattery won't get you anywhere." She said, turning in his embrace to smirk up at him.

"Oh really? I seem to recall flattery working all sorts of magic on you last weekend." Jim's whispering voice sent shivers up her spine.

"Well this is different." Alex pointed out, only a hint of stiffness in her voice betraying her amusement. "This isn't about impressing you, it's about impressing everyone else."

"Alex, you're already going to impress everyone."

She made a face. "You're not helping."

"Of course not. But nothing I say will make you any less worried about all this."

"I suppose that's true enough…" Alex was already half into panic mode. She felt as if this was some sort of test. First of all, she had to meet the standards of the student body in general. There were some cases like Jim's, where tuition was paid by a generous third party. But many of the students came from wealthy families and could afford the best education. They were used to fancy balls and beautiful dresses and the finest of everything. She'd never be able to meet their standards.

And if that wasn't bad enough, she had to make sure Jim's friends liked her. Well...she supposed it wouldn't really make a difference. But she really _wanted_ them to like her. If they didn't, it would make things really awkward for Jim. And she wouldn't exactly be happy about it either.

She came back to herself and realized Jim was talking. "…always supposed to be great food at these things, so if nothing else we can just hide in a corner and eat. But my friends are going to love you, almost as much as I do."

Pale blue eyes blinked in surprise, watching Jim's darker blue as they reflected the stars.

"What did you say?"

He looked down at her, eyes and smile soft though even now a slight smirk pulled at the corner of his lips. "That I love you? Just sort of slipped out I guess."

Alex's heart felt like it was growing larger in her chest, swelling up like a balloon. "Is it true?" He raised an eyebrow and she had to laugh. "Just making sure, Jimmy-boy." She said, happiness lacing her voice. She stood onto her toes and pressed her lips to his. "'Cause I love you too."

The smirk was back. "I know."

Alex shook her head. "Well someone sounds sure of himself."

"Why shouldn't I? I've got you, don't I?"

Alex's own eyebrows lifted and she spun out of his hold. "Not anymore." He went to grab her hand and she skipped out of reach, eyes gleaming with mischief. "You've gotta catch me."

"Is that a challenge, Miss Valentine?"

She bowed low and grinned. "But of course, Mr. Hawkins." She didn't hesitate a moment longer, spinning and talking off running towards the shed where her solar bike was waiting. Jim laughed and hurried to follow her.

Alex beamed as she hoped into the seat of her bike, starting the engine and taking off towards the canyons. Sarah's family dinner would just have to wait a bit.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Sarah!" Alex's voice screeched through the upper halls of the Inn and the woman quickened her pace. "I can't get this to work!"

A quick flash of relief made Sarah smile. Alex had recently stopped calling her Ms. Sarah all the time, and she cherished the dropping of the title. She set down her basket of folded laundry on the family table and hurried to Alex's bedroom.

The girl was slumped on a stool before her desk, trying to pin her hair using a small mirror she'd propped against some half finished machine in the crowded workspace. Sarah could already see Alex was dangerously close to rubbing her pretty dress against the edge of the desk, which was covered in grease and oil stains.

"I can't get my hair to do anything that looks remotely good." Alex grumbled, spotting Sarah's reflection in the mirror. The woman chuckled and swept over.

"That tiny mirror isn't helping. Come on, I've got pins in my room." Sarah led the way into the master bedroom, sitting the girl on the chair before her vanity. Sarah got to work, grabbing a comb and brushing out the tangles Alex had missed. "Up or down?"

"Up, please." Alex said, exhaling in relief. "Tonight is supposed to be special, so I need to do something different."

"Ah yes, your first real outing with Jim. Nervous?" Alex sent her a look in the mirror and Sarah smiled. "Silly question, I guess. Just relax, you're sitting so straight you look like a statue."

Alex took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting Sarah's comb and fingers work their magic. There were few things more relaxing than having someone play with your hair. "You're right." She finally whispered. "You're right, I'm just…too worked up. There's not much I can do at this point, people are going to like me or not."

"Exactly." Sarah nodded, twisting and tucking, talking as she worked. "You don't have to be like them to have them like you, after all."

Alex's pale blue eyes opened thoughtfully and grinned a bit. "Exactly." She repeated in a whisper. She watched as her hair was magically pinned perfectly in place, her jaw hanging open by the time Sarah was done.

"How did you do that?" she asked in awe, twisting about to try and see the back of her own head in the mirror. "It doesn't even feel loose!"

Sarah smiled and rested her hands on Alex's shoulders. "Years of practice." She said with conspiratorial wink. "You'll get the hang of it too someday."

Alex had to grin. "I doubt it. I don't imagine there are going to be many fancy balls in my future." She hopped to her feet and hugged Sarah tightly. "Thank you!"

Alex was certain she'd never been so nervous in her life, but she also knew she'd never been this excited either. She was so looking forward to seeing new people rather than the regulars at the Inn, especially as they would actually be around her own age for once. And all the dresses and the food… She was determined that this night be wonderful. Even if Jim's friends didn't take to her, she'd just steal Jim away from them for the evening. The pair of them could make anything fun.

"Alex, you ready? Our ride is here!"

It was Jim. He'd probably been downstairs for a half hour now, ready and waiting to go. "Coming!" she called back, before dashing into her room. She snatched the lovely cream colored shawl Sarah had made her for her birthday, stuffed her feet into flats of the same color, and ran back out and down the stairs.

Jim waited patiently at the base of the stairs. He'd dressed in his academy uniform as it was the nicest thing he had. Alex swore that when he wore it he stood a bit taller than usual. He'd been waiting for ages though, where was that girl?

She finally appeared at the top of the last staircase and he grinned. She wore a dress he'd seen before, but she'd had it altered a bit to make it a bit fancier than the rest of her wardrobe. It was a dark blue, reaching her knees. A second layer of fabric pulled to the back, leading to a short cascade of ruffled down the back of the skirt. The top was simple and clean cut, with a square neckline and no sleeves. Simple, yes. But she was gorgeous.

Rather than the slow graceful walk which was traditional for a girl's entrance, Alex hopped up onto the railing and slid right down it. Jim laughed and caught her when she reached the bottom, spinning about once before setting her down.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." She said with a shrug and a crooked smile. Jim grinned back, grabbing her hand and pulled her from the Inn and into the waiting taxi they'd splurged on. The red and gold ship was fully enclosed and very comfortable, and would take them right to the door of the fancy Ballroom on the Academy's campus.

Alex gasped aloud when they finally swooped below a cloud bank and came within view of the building. It was easily ten stories tall, the sweeping pillars framing doors which could have surrounded the Benboe Inn. And everything was sparkling! Torches lined the walkway and staircase up to the doors, reflecting off of the polished marble and gold. Even the people seemed to shine as the firelight caught gems and precious metals in the jewelry of the girls and the gold braid on the boy's uniforms.

"Alright, now I really feel out of place." She whispered as Jim pulled her from the cab. To her right stood a giggling group of girls, wearing dresses of bright colors and shimmering silk. They all had so much jewelry Alex suspected that they'd fall over if they weren't careful! She reached up, fingers brushing at the simple locket that hung from her throat. The one Jim had given her for her birthday. She loved it dearly, but she had never felt like such a country girl before…

"Hey Jim." Two very pretty girls chorused as they sauntered by. Alex glared after them, only to hear them giggling as they joined a few friends nearby. She bit her tongue and exhaled slowly. Tonight was going to be wonderful. She wouldn't let these rich girls ruin things.

"Here." She turned to see Jim holding out his hand. She held out her own and he dropped whatever it was he held. To her surprise, a sparkling bracelet slithered from his fingers to drop into her palm.

"Oh wow…Jim…"

"It's nothing too fancy..." He quickly pointed out, shuffling a bit from one foot to the other.

Alex didn't care, she was too busy beaming at the thing shining in her hand. "It's wonderful." She said, grabbing his hand and squeezing his fingers. "Come on, help me put it on…"

The boy did so, leaning close. "Just ignore those girls, they're being stupid."

Alex shook her head. "It's alright Jim, I was sort of expecting it."

He clasped the bracelet shut and let her hand drop, placing a finger under her chin to make her look at him. "May I shut them up?"

She smirked a bit and nodded. "You may."

He leaned down the spare inches between them, pressing his lips to hers. Alex melted a bit, but couldn't miss the distinct cut off of giggling from the group of girls nearest them. Take that, ladies!

"Come on, let's go in and get this party started." Jim whispered when he finally pulled away. Alex grinned and kissed him one last time, before linking her arm with his.

"Sounds like a plan."

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Gah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! I'm getting really bad at this whole updating once a week thing -.- In my defense I only got home a few days ago and am still really busy! I know, it's not a very good excuse...especially as I've been on the computer most of the last few days. Sorry again!_

_Random question...but are any of you guys on deviantArt? I practically live there, and I've recently discovered two of my readers who also have accounts! My username is Whisperwings_ _there as well, but feel free to tell me your username in your review and I'll pop over and say hi!_

_Of course that means you'll have to leave a review, so please do so! Everything from this chapter and on is entirely made up, so I love knowing what people think of my invented plotlines!_

_Your humble authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"So where are you friends?" Alex asked, glad to have Jim's arm to guide her. She was so busy trying to take in the gorgeous room to watch where she was walking. The walls were polished marble panels, alternating with rich red curtains with gold trim. But they each reached so high that she couldn't even tell where they ended and the domed ceiling began. The ceiling itself was painted with incredible murals of mermaids, various graceful space creatures, and fantastical ships flying through the stars. She wondered how long it must have taken for them to paint the whole thing, it wasn't a cheaper hologram version. She could tell that even from here.

"Hmm…knowing them, probably by the – oh! There they are, come on!"

Alex pulled her attention back to eye level as Jim pulled her through the crowd. She finally spotted the group he was aiming for and blinked in surprise. They didn't look nearly as pompous as so many of the people she'd first noticed. They were just standing in a rough circle, laughing at some joke or other. They actually looked friendly.

Alex almost smacked herself in the forehead right then and there. Of course they'd be friendly! Jim didn't have any patience with pompous twits, he'd never befriend any of them. If Jim had people he liked enough to consider friends, they certainly be people that wouldn't annoy him with their very presence.

"Hey, Jimbo finally made it!" someone called, and a round of hellos welcomed the pair in to the circle.

"Hey guys." Jim said with a grin. "I'd like you all to finally meet Alexandra Valentine, my girlfriend." Alex smiled, albeit a bit shyly.

"So this is the mysterious Alex." A tall black boy stepped forward, the white uniform contrasting wonderfully with his skin tone. Alex grinned up at him.

"Mysterious? Me? Hardly." She said with a chuckle.

"Of course you are!" he protested good naturedly. "Jim talks about you all the time, but of course none of us actually know you. We were beginning to think he'd made you up to avoid his fanclub."

"Oh, but I _am_ imaginary." Alex insisted with a wide grin. "You're all just so desperate to meet me that you're all just imagining things. I'm only in your heads, I promise."

"Is she so pretty to all you guys then?" A short blond boy said with a smirk, earning a whack upside the head from the black boy.

"Don't be rude to the lady, Charlie." He eyes Alex and grinned, white teeth flashing. "Imaginary or not."

Jim laughed, very pleased with how this was going. He hadn't been worried that Alex would fit right in, but he was glad she would finally be able to relax about making a good impression. "Hey guys, don't forget she's _my_ imaginary girlfriend. Get your own!" he ordered, slipping his arm around the girl's waist as everyone laughed.

"Alex, this is my man Sam, my roommate and also the one guy on campus more patient than a Frellian slug." Alex grinned and shook his hand, blinking when he raised his eyebrows.

"You, m'lady, have calluses. I wasn't expecting that from a Duchess like yourself." He said. Alex had to grin, knowing he was teasing her, but still appreciated it.

"Duchess?" She asked in mock surprise. "Don't be silly lad, I work for a living."

Sam laughed a loud, friendly laugh, and took it upon himself to continue the introductions.

"This is Charlie, a computer whiz and an innocent little lamb who likes to play tough when it comes to girls." He said, ruffling the shortest boy's hair and ignoring his protests. Alex knew his tough and flirtatious act was probably just that, an act. Next, Sam gestured to a tall, well muscled young man with dark hair.

"That's Graham, a complete prankster, but also a natural leader. Good thing too, seeing as he's a Prince on his home planet." Alex smiled up at the boy and dipped a –slightly wobbly- curtsy. Graham smiled back and took her hand, bending over it in a bow. Though Alex's initial reaction to his position made her doubtful, she kept in mind that Jim liked him well enough, so he couldn't be all that bad. Sam elbowed him out of the way and spun Alex about to the only other girl in the group.

"Christy." She said before Sam could introduce her. Alex smiled, shaking hands with the girl's pale hand, admiring the confidence she had to have for having her hair dyed blue and rolled into dreadlocks.

"She's up for a navigator, gifted with numbers like no one else." Sam quickly added, before tugging forward a lanky, mouse of a boy. "And here's Robin, a med student here. Were trying to convince him that a job as a ship's doctor would be ideal, but he won't buy it."

Robin glared at the black boy. "I've never said that _Samuel_, don't put words in my mouth." He grinned at Alex and shook her hand as well. "That's been my plan for years, he simply refuses to believe that it wasn't his influence that swayed me to it."

"Yeah yeah," Sam said with a grin. "Doctor or no, he's deadly accurate with any pistol you put in his hands."

"An interesting mix, I know." Robin said with a shrug. "But I'm very good at seriously maiming rather than killing." His voice was so light and at ease that Alex had to giggle as Robin stepped back into the circle.

Jim grinned and slipped an arm about her waist. "Now that you've all met her, I'm going to steal my girlfriend for a dance." He said with a very obvious wink in her direction. Alex laughed and rolled her eyes as she let him pull her away.

"Work work work." She complained lightly before they went out of earshot, giggling as he spun her in a circle on the dance floor. "So…do you think they liked me?"

"Liked you? Alex, they already love you, I can tell." Jim assured her. "Especially Sam, I've _never_ seen him warm up to anyone so fast."

Alex knew she was blushing and solved the problem by burying her face in Jim's collar. "I'm glad." She admitted softly. "Coming here tonight has to have been one of the worst experiences of my life."

"Even worse than fighting pirates? Or trying to escape a black hole?"

"Oh yes, much worse." Alex wasn't entirely joking as she pulled back to look him in the eye once more. "With those I would have just died and wouldn't have had to worry about it. If your friends hadn't liked me, I would have had to deal with it." Jim laughed at her jovial tone and pulled her closer, dancing her around in circles for the rest of the song.

Eventually the boy left to get them drinks, and Alex was left to wander. She did so, marveling at the gorgeous room and the people in it. Her favorite part was the dance floor. Many of the students who'd come from high society lives had started to do beautifully intricate dances in the center of the room. As they weaved amongst each other, Alex was perfectly happy to just watch.

When Sam finally found her, it was to the side of the dance floor, leaning against a pillar the size of her bedroom.

"Enjoying yourself?"

"Immensely." She said with feeling, her eyes not leaving the dance before her. "They're lovely, aren't they? It looks like they can read each other's minds or something… I feel like this what it would look like if the colors in a rainbow decided to start dancing."

Sam chuckled. "You come here all dressed in your finery, but you're just a country girl, aren't you?"

Alex sent him a look that made him chuckle again. Her finery did a perfectly good job of separating her as a country girl already. Her obvious wonder wasn't helping. "Born and bred a simple country girl. These nights are beautiful to visit…but too fancy for every day I think. I prefer working."

"You have a job?"

"I did. Working at the Benboe. But now…well, I'm rather useless. Sarah has hired a cook to help in the kitchens, and two maids which do the cleaning. I help where I can, but there's not much for me to do."

"So…you're going to get a job?"

"In theory." Her voice was laced with doubt. "There's not much work for a mechanic in town, people there live pretty simply and most know how to fix what machines they do have. I could try and other jobs… The tailor in town has offered to hire me, but I'm useless with a needle and thread."

Sam grinned at her in amusement. "A mechanic? Why don't you come to school here? Wouldn't that Doctor fellow hook you up like he did Jim?"

"He did offer, yeah. But I was needed for the new Inn at the time. Besides, the Academy is Jim's thing, I'd hate to take that away from him."

Sam shook his head. "If that was true, then he wouldn't tell me a dozen times a day that he wished you could be here too."

Alex's eyes raised to meet Sam's dark brown. "He does?"

"Absolutely. He's always complaining that he can only see you on weekends and holidays. And he says that you know more than the mechanics professor he's got now. He'd love it if you were a student too."

Alex chewed on her lip, not watching the dancers anymore as her mind danced around the idea itself. "Well…I suppose I could certainly look into it. I wonder if Delbert's offer is still going to help pay the tuition…"

"Maybe you should ask. And don't tell Jim about it if possible…you should surprise him. I'd pay to see that myself." He suggested with a wink before leaving her side to ask Christy to dance.

"Care for a dance?" Alex turned to see Graham holding out a hand. Alex gave him a slightly nervous smile as she took it.

"I warn you, I'm terrible." She informed him as he pulled her a few steps onto the dance floor. He smiled.

"It doesn't bother me any. Better than dealing with the vultures." He casually glanced to the side and Alex followed his gaze, spotting a group of giggling girls watching them.

"Oh I see how it is, you're just using me." she teased. He didn't deny it either.

"You're much more interesting than any of them, I bet. Prettier too."

Alex made a face but he only shrugged. The conversation after that was full of friendly teasing, even if the dance was never anything special. She'd never be much of a dancer, and thankfully Graham didn't seem to mind. In the end he actually requested a second dance, just so they could continue talking.

At the end of that song, both were ready to swing right into a third dance when Jim appeared. "Sorry mate, but I'm going to sacrifice you to the girls in order to steal mine for a few drinks." He said with a wink.

Graham made a face. "I suppose I can't keep her three dances in a row, can I?"

"Nope!" Jim only beamed and pulled a giggling Alex away, leaving the prince to be swarmed by his admirers.

"We could have brought him along at least." Alex said as Jim sat her down on a bench in an out of the way crevasse. "I feel bad just leaving him there."

"He'll escape soon enough. He's gotten very good at it lately." Jim promised. Sure enough, the group of fan girls soon passed right by them, all wondering aloud where the prince had gone to. Alex giggled like mad until Jim gave her a small crystal glass of punch, and she had to calm down for fear of dropping it."So, having fun?"

"Actually, yes." Alex admitted, putting a finger on the boy's lips before he could say a word. "And don't you say 'I told you so', or I'll smack you." Jim's lips pulled into a grin behind her finger, taking the glass from her hand and setting it aside.

"I wasn't going to say a word." He said innocently, taking her wrist and pulling it down. He kissed her knuckled with a smirk. "Alright maybe I was. I told you s-"

Alex yanked her arm from his hold and smacked his shoulder with a laugh, making the boy flinch and complain. The fight was silent but furious, and full of quiet giggling and laughter. And, best of all, full of quick kisses and whispered promises.

The pair didn't leave each other's side for the rest of the night, too busy being wrapped up in one another to bother being a part of the real world.

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_Yeah, I'm late again, surprise surprise, lol. In my defense Ive been more busy since I got home than I was even on the dig! And to make matters worse, I've run out of my extra chapters! I usually have a few more chapters written than I have posted, so that when I get busy and can't write, then I'll still have stuff I can post. That's all gone now ;_;_

_So please pleeeeease send me some of your wonderful, inspiring reviews! I only want to give you guys my best, and it's your reviews that keep me going! Also, they remind me to get my butt in gear and write more, so please take a little time and tell me what you thought of this chapter, or the story in general!_

_Your Brain-Fried Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Alex stood before the mirror on the wall, staring at herself. Only five minutes ago, she'd looked like the country girl who worked at the local inn, wearing a simple green dress and cream blouse. Now, she felt like an entirely different person! She'd dressed in her new school uniform, a white fitted jacket over a black tank top, gold braid glinting on her shoulders. A simple white skirt and knee high white boots completed the outfit. She looked like a student already… she eyes her messy hair and grimaced, grabbing a brush. By the time she was done, it swooped gently past her right eye before draping behind her shoulders. Much better.

The girl before her looked so confident and smart, ready to take on the world. Looking like this, how could she not feel better about herself. No rich students could judge her now, she looked just as good as them.

A knock on the door made her jump. "Hey Duchess, you done yet?"

She smiled and opened the door to let in Sam and Graham who'd greeted her that morning when she'd arrived at the school. "Yeah. What do you think?" she asked, spinning as they came into the room.

"Lovely as a rose." Graham assured her with a grin. Alex beamed, looking around.

"My room needs some help." She admitted. The single person room was tiny, barely large enough for both a bed and a desk. A little space at the foot of the bed held a trunk for her belongings, but that was it. "I'm going to have to bring some stuff from home next week."

"Hmm…we should get you risers for your bed. If you bunk it up, you've got more space. Knowing you, you're going to need a bigger desk." Sam said with a wink.

Alex only grinned in agreement. The desk they'd provided wasn't big enough for all her school books, it would never be able to handle her mechanical and tinkering hobbies.

"So where's Jim?" she asked, unable to avoid the subject for a moment longer. After the months it had taken to get in here, and the effort of keeping it all a secret, she was looking forward to the surprise.

Sam grinned knowingly. "He's out front at one of the picnic tables there. You can't miss him."

The brunette beamed and left the room without another word to the boys, hurrying down the hall and the large stairs which led to the main entrance to the dormitory. It looked like a castle of glass and silver, with the different spires of the dorms piercing the sky itself. The only downside was the outer wall of the spires were all glass as well. A very dramatic view, but very little privacy. Alex doubted she'd open the blinds very often.

Outside, the grounds around the building were mostly neatly trimmed redish grass, crisscrossed with dirt paths. Alex's pale blue eyes swept the area, before stopping on a familiar figure hunched over a table. Sam had been right, Jim was impossible to miss. Especially when he'd covered the whole tale with blueprints and textbooks as he did his homework.

"Your desk not big enough either?" she asked as she came to his side. He snorted.

"Yeah right. What they call a desk, I call a night stand." He replied. Alex watched in amusement as he blinked and froze, before slowly turning in her direction. "Alex?"

"That's my name." she said with a grin, plopping on the bench beside him. Jim seemed too dumbfounded for words for a moment.

"What are…you're here! Are you…here here?"

Alex's hidden amusement burst forth in a flood of giggles. "What have I told you about imaginary girlfriends?" she teased. "That still counts as cheating on me."

Jim laughed, shaking his head before looking her over. He did it a second time before her uniform seemed to register in his mind.

"You're going to school here!"

"Your brain _does_ work! Oh I'm so glad, I'd hate for it to break now." She mocked him jovially. Jim didn't bother to retort, just pulling her into a hug before bombarding her with questions.

They'd only said goodbye that morning, but they suddenly had a lot to talk about.

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Alex held her head high as she walked through the expansive campus. Not out of pride though, it was more out of an effort to prove that the many barbs weren't affecting her.

"Just look at her, look at her clothes…"

"I heard she doesn't even have a proper family. Poor thing, no wonder she can't afford this place on her own."

She'd overheard such things so many times now, they were practically etched into the inside of her skull. Even now, she caught sight of the quick glances the others gave her, before turning to whisper to their friends. It was possible they were gossiping about something else, but Alex doubted it.

She had no idea why she was such a fun subject on conversation among her peers. Surely there were better things to talk about. But no, at least not any of the students in her classes. Instead of discussing the Academy's sporting events, or the parties, or even the weather, they liked to talk about poor, strange Alex. Who didn't have a family or money or decent fashion sense.

She subtly glanced down at her simple dress of green as she walked along the crisscrossing paths on the way to her dorm. Simple, yes…but she didn't think it was that bad. Still, compared to the outfits she saw on some of the other girls here, it was a bit…old fashioned. She was used to wearing her own clothes rather than her uniform to supper though. It reminded people that she was different.

And at first, she'd been nothing but proud of the fact. She wanted to prove that money had nothing to do with talent or smarts. But at the weeks went by, her confidence had wilted. She hadn't stopped her habit of wearing her dresses to the dining hall…but she hadn't enjoyed it anymore. Lately, she'd even come to dread the walk back.

Thankfully, today was the last day she'd have to deal with it. For a little while at least. The Snow Festival was next week, and the students had all been given the time off to be with their families.

Alex reached her dorm and happily entered it, taking the lift to her floor and hurrying to her room. She tossed her things into the bag she pulled from under her bed. There were more gizmos and mechanical projects than clothing by the time she was done! Jim would tease her, she knew. But at this point, it would certainly brighten her day.

Without a look back, she had left the building and was hurrying to the docks where the many ships and skiffs waited to carry the students away. Jim was already there, waiting by the gangplank of the ship heading to the Montressor Spaceport.

"There she is!" he greeted her with a smile and an one armed hug, the other holding his own bag. "You ready to head home?"

"Like you wouldn't believe." Alex's voice held more truth than sarcasm, and the concern in his eyes was awful. "Come on, I bet your mom has started decorating and I want to help!" That time her voice held just the right amount of cheeriness.

Jim didn't buy it, as he followed her up onto the ship. "You alright?"

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?"

"You seem…upset."

"Nonsense, what would give you that idea?"

"You're holding your locket. You always do that when you're upset." Jim nodded to the object, which Alex noticed was wrapped in a tight fist. She hadn't even realized it was a habit. She dropped the locket as if it had burned her, shaking her head

"Long day is all. I was assigned a whole paper to write over break." She made a face. "It could be hard without the library." It wasn't a lie, not really. She was worried about that paper…

Jim seemed to buy it. "I hate it when they do that. You'd think they would learn to let us know with a few days to spare so we check out a few books or something."

"You'd think, but that would be too easy." Alex agreed. The pair took their customary seats at the bow of the ship, and Alex let Jim carry the conversation the rest of the way home.

The ride home was about two hours long. The longest part was on the way to the Spaceport, where they'd catch a smaller ship planet side. If they were the only passenger, the driver was happy to take them to the docks right outside the Inn rather than in town. Today that wasn't the case, but the teens were happy to walk hand in hand the last leg home.

Sarah was ecstatic to see them, and - as Alex had predicted - had already started decorating. Being a desert planet, they didn't have much in the way of temperature difference between the seasons. Nor did they have many of the traditional plants used to decorate. But everyone here had learned to make do with whatever they could find. Green paper chains draped about the room rather than pine branches, and their Festival Tree was a small one with tiny, trembling gold leaves. Alex loved it.

Sadly, she whole time she and Sarah worked on decorating the main room, Alex felt like she was pretending to be happy. Like she'd been forced into a mask and couldn't take it off. She hated the feeling, and it had become all too familiar lately.

Finally, after supper, she knew she couldn't pretend any more. She just wanted some time to herself…

She slipped from the room, leaving Sarah t continue placing the candles they'd bought on every available surface. The kitchen, busy with cleanup after a busy supper, was crowded with helpers. Alex was able to slip through without being noticed, leaving through the back door. Just like old times…except this time is was she who was running away, not Jim.

"Alex?" Speak of the spacer. Alex looked over her shoulder to see Jim following her from the kitchen. He closed the door behind him, and the cheerful chattering of the cooks cut off short. "You alright?"

"I'm fine." Alex's voice was strained and high pitched, she couldn't have been any easier to see through.

Jim frowned, heavy eyebrows low. "No you're not. Alex, you don't have to lie to me."

Alex shook her head. "I just want some time alone please." This time she couldn't even speak beyond a whisper. She wanted nothing more than to blow up at the boy, and she knew it was from stress rather than actual anger at him. She didn't want to yell at _him_ exactly…she just wanted to yell.

Jim though, didn't seem to get the hint, instead stepping forward. She hated the worry she saw in his eyes. Alex was nearly in tears, just trying to contain the build up of emotions so she could release them by herself with no one the wiser. She didn't want him to think she was weak!

"Come on Alex, talk to me!"

Pale blue eyes closed as she shook her head and turned away. "I'll see you later Jim." She didn't wait to hear his confused grunt, taking off down the road.

Jim blinked in confusion. What…was going on? He'd been able to tell something was off with his girlfriend since they'd met at the docks earlier. Normally he could always tell what she was thinking, just by looking at her. Today though, he'd felt like he was looking at a brick wall instead.

And now, Alex was running away from him, disappearing into the shadows lining the road to town. The poor boy had no idea what was going on. So, without even really thinking about it, he decided to follow her.

Rather than running, he grabbed his surfer from where it leaned against the side of the building. It had enough stored energy that it could take him pretty far on the battery alone. Alex was working on a new kind of battery, which would hold more energy in a smaller space. If she could manage it, she'd make a fortune!

Not that it mattered now. Jim was so busy worrying about the girl he was having a hard time thinking of anything else. He could hear her ahead of him, her light footsteps bouncing off the walls of the canyon to reach him, sounding like a gently tapping. She was heading into town? What for?

Curiosity was starting to take over his worry. He was more interested in where she was running to than why she was running. At least for now. His curiosity only grew as the girl made her way through town, avoiding the various night crowds hanging about the market and the theater. She passed by everything, finally reaching a building Jim wasn't familiar with at the far end of town. It was enormous, made of glass, and glinted in the moonlight. But he couldn't see a thing inside of it, the windows were too steamed up.

He silently snuck through the doors, making a face as a wall of humidity slammed into him. What was this place? He got his answer as he sipped through the second doorway. He seemed to be standing in an indoor jungle, surrounded by plant life from all over the galaxy. A butterfly with foot long wings fluttered by, and his eyes went round.

A butterfly garden. He vaguely remembered Alex telling him that Delbert was planning on building one…he must have finished. He wondered why Alex hadn't told him about it.

Voices ahead of him made him hesitate. Had it been Alex who'd come in here? He didn't want to eavesdrop on someone else…but the voice which replied made him stop short.

"I can't tell him anything!" That was Alex! Jim frowned, tiptoeing forward, boots silent on the spongy ground off the path. "He just won't understand."

"Sounds like you're over reacting to me." Jim didn't recognize that voice, creping forward to peer under a leaf. A young man sat at a small spindly table in the courtyard in the middle of the room. And Alex was pacing back and forth, a stormy look on her face.

"Maybe I am, but I can't help it. I can't just explain, no one will want to listen to that."

"I'm listening."

"You don't count." An odd fondness laced her voice and Jim's frown deepened. Who was this guy?

"I'm hurt."

"Oh you'll be fine." She teased, sinking down in the seat across from him. "I just…I just feel so lonely, all the time…"

"Do you feel lonely now?"' The stranger reached across the table, resting his hand on Alex's.

Alex blinked, looking up at the boy with a smile. "No. No I don't."

Jim had seen enough. He growled to himself and spun, leaving the building in a rush. He didn't care if the door slammed, Alex wouldn't notice Not when she was so busy with her other boyfriend.

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_Clearly I am a horrible person =P Not only do I make you wait a long time for chapters these days, ut now I'm tearing apart the two people I've been working the whole story to bring together. And I find it fun :D_ _Man oh man, this is gonna get messy!_

_Please review, I need some super duper inspiration right now! And you guys provide that in buckets, I love you all!_

_Your Whimsical Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Alex had to smile at the boy across from her. She didn't even know his name…she'd come to the butterfly pavilion to get away from people, and a total stranger had found her there. He'd asked what was wrong and she'd exploded. All the frustration and emotion she'd been hiding burst forth in a long, rather loud rant. And the boy didn't seem to care at all.

"Do you feel lonely now?" He rested his hand on hers, and she couldn't hold back the gentle smile that appeared. Not from his action…but because in the process of her own ranting, she'd discovered something.

"No. No I don't." She wasn't alone. She had people…people she could talk to. She was being silly, holding everything in when there were people around who wouldn't mind hearing about it. And Jim would certainly understand, he always understood!

She pulled her hand out from under the boy's. "I'm sorry, I don't want to give you the wrong idea."

He grinned, not seeming to mind that he was being shot down, albeit gently. "I don't know, I felt a connection in there. Somewhere between you talking about the stupid girls and yelling about the stupid boys." He teased.

Alex shook her head in amusement. "It's not that. But I do have a boyfriend…and he sort of deserves an apology after the way I took off a few minutes ago…"

"Ah. Of course. No way such a lovely creature would be single." He winked, getting to his feet. "I'm Lorn by the way. If you ever feel the need to spill your guts to a stranger, I'm here every night."

Alex stood as well, reaching over and grabbing his hand for a moment in silent appreciation. "I'll keep that in mind." She promised, before turning and leaving the building. The night air outside was cool and dry, and felt like a real winter for once. After the steamy building, even the warm night she walked in was comfortably cool.

She did feel a bit silly…she'd been holding everything in for so long. Growing up she hadn't been allowed to speak out or complain, she'd learned to keep secrets or she'd be punished. Later on, working at the Benboe, she simply hadn't wanted to complain. It wasn't Sarah's fault they were so busy, so she'd continued to just keep her mouth shut.

She'd gotten stuck in that groove. She'd become trapped in the frame of mind that she wasn't allowed to be anything less than at her best all the time. She could pretend to be happy with the best of them, but that was often for the benefit of others than herself.

She'd never really been selfish before… not in big ways at least. Not in such a…personal, emotional way. And Jim was just the opposite. He'd always been a little more focused on himself than everyone else.

They both needed to learn. Alex more than Jim. He'd changed so much in the last few years. He'd found a pace in the world, a good group of friends, and he treated her like a princess who just happened to be his best friend.

Alex on the other hand, hadn't changed at all. She'd continued to be the ever-supporting friend and then girlfriend. She realized how little she'd opened up, how much she kept hidden. How could she and Jim have a decent relationship if he only saw a fraction of who she was?

The Benboe came into view and she grinned, suddenly very excited. She was going to go up to Jim, kiss him, and then tell him everything. She wanted him to know about her hardships at the Academy. She wanted him to know about her desire to grow and become more than just the country girl at the fancy school. She wanted him to know about her past, the good and the bad!

The common room was empty when she went in, but she wasn't surprised. He was probably upstairs. She practically flew up the various floors, feeling light as a feather. Everything was about to get so much better!

The sight of the boy sitting at the family table brought her up short. She grinned and moved forward only to stop again when she saw his face. This wasn't moody-Jim…this was furious-Jim. She'd _never_ seen him this angry before.

Instinct kicked in, wanting to help him. "Jim? What's wrong, what happened?"

To her shock, he turned to glare at her, still angry enough to almost frighten her. "You're one to ask. It's your fault."

"My…? Jim, I don't understand."

"Oh you don't? Weird, because I'm pretty sure it was you I heard yelling in that butterfly garden place."

Alex felt her eyebrows click together. Something about this felt all too familiar…and not in a good way. "You followed me?"

"Yeah, I did. I was worried about you, sue me."

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough."

"But…Jim, I was just…" Alex faltered. She didn't actually know what it was she wanted to say, she just needed to explain, to fix this… "I was just a little…distracted."

"Yeah I noticed. You know Alex, I don't think I want a girlfriend who can't even be honest with me."

Pale blue eyes widened. "What? No Jim, just let me explain, please!"

"Explain? I don't care how good with words you are, I don't think even you can talk your way out of this one. And I'd rather not listen to you try."

Alex shook her head, anger starting to take over. She'd be sad later, right now her temper was finally coming forth. "Jim, would you just shut up? You're doing it again, you're making assumptions! Would you just listen to me for once?"

"For once? Alex, I'm trying to understand, I really am. But clearly I'm not good enough for you!"

"You're being stupid!" Alex was yelling by now, and Jim had shot to hit feet. They were on opposite ends of the room, and half the inn could probably hear them. But Alex didn't care. "You _always_ do this, you never give me a chance to-"

"What's the point? I've given you chances, Alex. Lots of chances. You realize I don't even know where you grew up? I don't know a thing about you before you showed up here! You can't tell me that, and you don't seem bothered enough to tell me about the new people in your life today!"

Alex groaned, fists clenched. "That's the stupidest thing I've heard you say yet, there isn't anyone new in my life. And I'm sorry about the whole…past thing. I don't like to think about it. I'd tell you eventually…" Her plans to tell him that very night were forgotten now. At the moment she didn't want to tell Jim anything except what an idiot he was being.

The boy scoffed, his eyes dark with anger. Normally Alex would have been worried about whatever poor sod was on the receiving end. Jim could be scary when he was pissed. Now that it was her though, she only wanted to give as good as she got.

"It's not like you're any better." She snapped angrily. "I have done nothing but support your every move, but you never bother to look and see how I was doing! Do you have any idea how awful these last few weeks have been? No of course not, you're too busy being Mr. Perfect Pilot."

"I can't know you need help if you don't even tell me!" Jim shouted. "You not exactly an open book, and you can't be bothered to tell people when something is wrong! Not unless they meet you in the pavilion anyway. Who was that kid?"

Alex blinked, raising an eyebrow. Was he actually jealous? "The guy? I didn't even know his name until a few minutes ago." she told him.

Jim snorted, making it clear he didn't believe her. "Right, that's it. You can't even be honest with me. You know what? Fine. It's over. We're done."

Shock descended over her shoulders as Jim stalked past her and into his room, slamming the door. She felt numb. Like she'd been locked in a freezer for too long. Her anger didn't leave, but any other thoughts were masked by sudden exhaustion.

She didn't even care right now, she didn't care about anything. She went to her own room, closing the door as Sarah hesitantly peered out of her bedroom. She must have overheard everything, and Alex didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to think about it. Thinking would hurt, and she just wanted to be angry right now.

She changed into a nightgown, every move jerky and stiff. Her thoughts were swirling, and she was grateful. As long as they were doing so, she wouldn't be able to focus on any one thing. Finally she crawled into bed and it hit her.

Jim had broken up with her. He'd…he'd really really ended things. For good. What was she supposed to do now? Not only had she lost her boyfriend…but her best friend. There was no getting over that, not ever.

For some reason, she'd never been able to imagine ever not being with Jim. Even when she'd wondered if they would last as a couple, she'd imagined a pretty gentle break up. Their feelings would fade, it would be mutual, and they'd stay friends. It'd be hard for a while, but they'd still be a part of each other's life.

This was nothing like she'd been expecting. This was awful, and more life changing than anything she'd ever wanted. She knew, even now, that she wouldn't have minded breaking up as long as he was still her friend.

But now? Now he hated her. He'd been her world for so many years…she wasn't sure she knew how to live without him anymore. Even if it was only having someone to tease on the early morning ride back to the Academy, or wake her up when she fell asleep on a mountain of textbooks. Just having someone to sit next to in the classes they had together, or having someone to make supper for Sarah with.

What would happen tomorrow? Would tomorrow happen? Was it possible that life would go on while she and Jim weren't friends? How could the sun still rise? How could anyone be happy? It didn't seem possible that life would just…continue.

Would she even be able to deal with it?

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Only a single room away, Jim's mind was following a similar path. With one difference. He was trying to figure off if he was better off now.

His instincts said he was. But his instincts were being powered by anger and suspicion at the moment. They insisted that he was better off without a girlfriend who couldn't be honest with him. Better off without a girl who apparently didn't mind flirting with other guys while she had a steady boyfriend.

Instincts however, only controlled his brain for so long. Now, after ditching his shirt and flopping on his bed, his anger was quickly fading. And guilt was trying to take its place.

He growled at himself. It was too late now. He'd ended it. And it was for the best. It would be hard to get over it, but he was determined to do so. Alex would get along fine on her own. She was used to it after all. She hadn't let a single person into her shell. Not even him.

That made his anger flare once more, but sadness as well. He'd told Alex everything about his past…about his dad leaving and everything. She'd been there as he'd almost gotten himself kicked out of school. She'd seen the best and the worst of him, and hadn't minded.

And yet, she never tried to open up to him. Not once. She'd been the one deciding what Jim saw of her. He wondered how much she was keeping a secret from him. He knew nothing about her past at all…other than the fact that she didn't enjoy talking about it. Who was she? Had he ever really known?

He took a deep breath and sighed, freezing as he heard something else. He lifted his head from the pillow, straining his ears.

Crying. Soft, almost silent. But crying nonetheless. Alex's room was right beside his, she must have her window open as well.

And she was crying. Jim had gotten to his feet to go comfort her before his brain caught up with him. He couldn't…he couldn't go to her. She was crying and it was his fault!

No. He closed his eyes, ordering himself not to lose what control he had. Yes, it was his fault. But the reason for it was her fault, so the blame couldn't really be placed on him.

But what if…

No! Damn it Jim, get a hold of yourself. You're not wrapped around her little finger. Not anymore…

He stood in place, wavering for a moment. Finally he made up his mind. He didn't go to her. Instead he went to the window…and shut it tight. The sounds of Alex's quiet crying cut off and he went to bed.

He'd made his choice. He would have to stick with it.

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_Probably not what you guys were hoping for, eh? And things will get worse before they get better, because I'm a horrible person and enjoy torturing both my characters and my readers XD_

_You should review and tell me what you think! Even if you hate what I'm doing_, _tell me!_

_Your Evil Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Alex glared angrily at the large pile of textbooks on her desk. This was ridiculous! How on earth could anyone be expected to remember everything they'd learned all semester, and regurgitate it? And a whole week of such torture? She couldn't believe she'd voluntarily signed up for this.

Finals Week: the worst time of year for any of the students at the academy. No one had it easy on this week, there was no way to cheat your way through these exams. A whole building had been set up for them, each class with its own exam room inside of it. Students couldn't bring anything into the building, not even a writing utensil! Everything was provided in an effort to keep anyone from sneaking things into the building. It meant the kids who paid for others to do their work didn't usually do very well. But Alex had heard horrible things about these exams, and she was starting to panic.

A knock on the door made the already over-stressed girl jump a foot in the air. She hurried and opened it, smiling in slight confusion when she saw-

"Sam? What are you doing here?"

The boy flashed her one of his signature smiles. "Am I not allowed to visit the Duchess?"

Alex, almost ready to burst into happy tears at his mere presence, hugged him for a moment. Jim's group of friends had stuck with him, just as Alex had known they would. Unfortunately, they'd been her only friends as well.

"Well, come on in. What's up?" she asked, propping the door open before moving to sit at her desk chair. Sam took a seat the old beat up armchair she'd rescued from the dump and barely managed to fit into her room.

"Actually…I was going to ask you that." Sam's flashy greeting had faded, worry lines around his eyes. The biggest indicator was the constant vibration of the skin under his ears. They were much like gills, and fluttered when he was upset about something. "What happened between you and Jim?"

Alex slumped in her seat. "I don't even know." She admitted sadly, covering her face with her hands. "I've gone through everything over and over again, I don't know quite what happened! I know he was upset that I haven't been very open with him…but beyond that? He's always been so patient about that, why'd he change his mind?"

"Open with him?" Sam's gills stopped fluttering in confusion. "What does that have to do with the other guy you were with?"

"Guy? What guy?" Alex looked up, pale blue eyes almost grey with stress, sadness and exhaustion.

"The guy you were apparently sneaking off to meet."

Sneaking off… Oh! Lorn! I wasn't sneaking off to see Lorn, I didn't even know who he was!"

The larger boy clearly didn't believe her, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrow. His fingers drummed lightly on his arm, the webbing between them a dark blue. Oh yeah…he was angry. He hid it well, but – as Jim had once told her – "the webbing shows all".

Alex shook her head, sitting up in a desire to make him understand. "I was upset about…stuff that's been going on with the rich girls here." She told him. "They've been making life miserable for me for months. That day, I was a little more upset than usual, it just sort of builds up you know? I just wanted to be alone so I could be angry and cry without anyone knowing anything was wrong, but Jim wouldn't leave me alone, so I went to town to get away. I didn't want him to know how hard it's been for me here! I went to the new Butterfly Pavilion our friend built and some guy was there. He asked what was wrong, but I sort of exploded at him…told him everything. No names or anything…but Sam, it just felt so good to get it all off my chest! But I swear, I had no idea who he was before that night!"

The boy didn't look quite so sure now, but he still didn't believe her entirely. "You were holding hands."

Alex shook her head. "You have to believe me Sam…after I was done ranting, he was…kind of flirting. I didn't notice at first, but then he tried to hold my hand. I told him I had a boyfriend, and he understood. I knew then that hiding things from Jim was stupid, so I went home to explain what was going on…and he just blew up at me!"

She sagged again, eyes full of despair. "I ruined it Sam…it was all my fault."

"No…you both ruined it." Alex looked up so see a pronounced frown on Sam's face. "You two really need to learn to talk to each other."

A sad smile flitted across her features. "A little too late now."

"Oh come on Duchess, you can't just give up!"

"Sam, he ended it. Permanently! What am I supposed to do?"

"Get your head out of the sand, love. You know he regrets it." The new voice made Alex turn. There was Graham, apparently coming to do exactly what Sam was already doing. The boys exchanged an amused look. Alex wondered if Jim had told them not to bother trying to fix things and they'd each decided to come anyway. She was grateful, she really was.

"If he regretted it, wouldn't he have tried to fix it himself?"

"Jim? Yeah right. He's stuck thinking that he made up his mind and he won't let himself fix it. But the boy's bloody miserable!" Graham told her. "Tell you what…you should try and talk to him. Explain things."

Alex fumbled for an excuse not to. She didn't even want to try. The truth was she was disappointed that Jim was so ready to just give up on her. On them. If he wasn't going to fight for it, did she even _want_ to try and get him back?

Finally the boys convinced her that she could at least explain her side of what had happened. It'd be better to be friends than to be nothing after all. Alex couldn't argue with that. The pair left her to think and plan…and she did so through most of the night.

She didn't get much studying done in the end.

The next morning seemed to crawl by. Alex kept looking at the clock, seeing that only a minute or two had passed when it felt like an hour. She was nervous…and a little bit scared of how this would go. They'd broken up almost three weeks ago now, and hadn't spoken since. Even going home, they'd been going every other week in order to avoid each other.

Finally, she took up her position. She knew Jim had a mechanics class right after her own, in the same classroom. She'd been leaving in a rush to avoid seeing him, but today she "accidently" spilled her drink. She was cleaning it up when Jim appeared.

He looked different. It was weird to think, since he hadn't really changed at all…but he did look different. His rattail – which he'd been growing out again – had gotten a bit longer, and his bangs brushed his cheekbones once more. He looked a lot like he did before their time on the R.L.S. Legacy. But he held himself differently. His shoulders seemed to be a bit straighter, he didn't slump quite so much…it looked like confidence, though Alex had only seen him to do that when he was trying to appear more confident than he was.

Alex got to her feet, paper towels dripping from the drink she'd just cleaned up. She tossed them in the trash and looked up just as Jim caught sight of her. Both of them froze, not really knowing what to do. Alex had just taken a step forward when another girl – a very pretty and petite blond one – sidled up to Jim's side and slipped her hand into his.

Alex staggered back a step, feeling like a bottle had broken inside her ribs, the glass tearing at her heart and lungs. She didn't even stop to think, simply grabbing her things and running from the room at full speed. She didn't care if she had more classes, she was too busy running back to her room where she burst into tears.

He'd moved on…she'd already been replaced. How had something so perfect turned out to be such a disaster?

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"Just go talk to her."

"No."

"Come on, man. You miss her, she misses you…"

"It doesn't matter."

"Sure it does-"

"Sam, would you just drop it?" Jim finally demanded. The other boy did so, though his eyes proved that he wasn't done for good. Jim caught the look and glared. "And don't you go trying to fix things with Alex. Just drop it, ok?"

Sam didn't reply, just leaving Jim's dorm room. The boy grunted and sank into his chair, rubbing his eyes with a thumb and finger.

Sam was right. Jim _did_ miss Alex, more than he thought was possible. He felt like there was a gaping hole in his chest where it heart used to be, and the lack of it was a constant ache. But it didn't matter, he'd deal with it. And eventually, he'd get over it.

In the meantime, he'd been focusing on his studies. He was so eager for distraction that even homework held more appeal than just thinking about things. His grades had been improving a lot the last few weeks…his teachers were impressed. Or worried, if they knew him well enough. Only a few of them did, but it was enough that a few had pulled him aside after class to ask if everything was alright.

The third teacher to do so had gotten a curt reply. "I just broke up with my girlfriend, what do you think?"

It had been a bad move. The school's best teachers were all friends. And now they all knew what had happened. He wondered if they would know if Alex was alright…he didn't actually know. It had been weeks since he'd even seen her in passing, he hoped she was doing okay.

Classes had become his favorite part of the day. He was able to get out of his dorm room and use his brain on something other than sad, whirling thoughts. Today was no exception. Except for one problem.

Aeslinn. She was a problem. A rather pretty blond problem, but a problem nonetheless. She'd been practically following him around ever since she found out he and Alex had broken up. And she didn't seem to understand that no really did mean no. She had a bad habit of sneaking up to him and trying to pretend she'd been there the whole time. Grabbing his hand, kissing his cheek, linking her arm with his. Jim turned her down time and time again, but the fact remained that she didn't seem to get it.

Today was no different. He'd been walking to class when the girl ducked under his arm, pulling his hand over to her waist. Jim yanked it back and stepped away, glaring at her.

"You've got to be kidding, not again!"

"Oh come on Jimmy, it's not that bad." She said. Her voice was low and secretive, very flirtatious. She could get almost any male she wanted. So Jim didn't know why she couldn't go catch herself some _other_ guy.

"Yes it is Lin, I don't like you. At all. Go bother someone else. And don't call me Jimmy."

She grinned, tucking her perfect hair behind a long, double pointed ear. "You know you don't mean that."

"Actually I do. Leave me alone." Jim took off, leaving the girl on the sidewalk as he took the long way around a building for the express purpose of escaping her. He arrived at his next classroom in a stormy mood, sitting next to a slightly amused Robin.

"Aeslinn?"

"Yep. She just can't take a hint. Or clearly explained instructions, for that matter."

"It can't be that bad. She's one of the popular ones you know. You'd be the envy of every guy in school if you dated her. And she's not bad looking either."

Jim blanched. "You think I care about that stuff? Rob, I don't like Aeslinn, I love-" He stopped short, not wanting to finish the sentence.

The doctor-in-training finished it for him. "You love Alex."

"It doesn't matter."

"Sure it does. Look…Jim, she's just as unhappy as you are. You're both being stupid about this. You're miserable apart, so why don't you just try and…not be apart." The boy scratched the blue scales on the back of his hand. "Besides…if you leave her alone too long, she's going to get snatched up from under your nose by some other guy."

Jim glared. "She already has been." He reminded the lithe boy. Robin shook his head.

"Sam went and talked to her the other night." He said, going on before Jim could complain about his friend's actions. "He's her friend too Jim, you can't tell them not to be. Just listen for once."

For once. The words rang in his mind. Alex had said the exact same thing…maybe Jim did have trouble just hearing people out sometimes.

"Sam went and talked to her. Turns out she didn't even know the guy, just ran into him at the Pavilion. She ranted to him, he flirted a bit, and then – are you listening to this part? It's important. Jim, she turned him down."

Blue eyes lifted to meet Robin's steadily swirling green. "She did?"

"Yup. You did say you left…you probably just missed it."

"But she said…he took her hand and asked if she was lonely. And she told him she wasn't."

Robin rolled his eyes. "Did you ever wonder why she said that?"

"Because she had him?"

"No! Jim, you are such a groosnich sometimes." He chuckled, using a word from his home planet. Jim knew it expressly meant "someone who only sees what he wants to see". "She'd figured something out. She'd realized something. And she wasn't lonely because…I think she realized that she had you. She's been supporting you for years…she finally figured out that you would support her as well."

Jim growled softly. "She's had me for years, why didn't she figure that out before hand?"

Robin snorted, his nose slits flaring in amusement. Clearly he saw something Jim didn't. "Alex doesn't open up to people, you know that. How long did you say it took for her to stop calling your mom Ms. Sarah?"

Jim couldn't stop the faint smile. "A long time."

"Exactly. I know you don't know her past or anything…but I'd bet my dad's ship that something happened back then which made it hard for her to trust anyone. It takes a lot to tell someone a secret…it takes a lot more to let someone in enough to admit when you're weak."

Jim didn't have a reply and was saved from having to think of one as the teacher arrived and started class. He remembered Alex's pained look from the day before when Aeslinn had grabbed his hand. She'd run off so fast he hadn't had a chance to explain. She hadn't even seen him yank his hand free from the blond's and glare at her.

How had everything gone so wrong?

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_Hello hello, Whisper here with your weekly dose of literary torture! Not quite as painful this week, but Alex and Jim are still being frustratingly stubborn -.- In any event, it was still a lot of fun to write! I do love making my characters miserable :D_

_If any of you are interested, I do have a Twitter account!_ _WhisperTurnbell, no space. For the most part I'm really random and complaining about being bored on the bus, lol. But I also post ideas and such for this story when I come up with them XD Heck, I'm all over the internet really. I live on deviantArt, but there are links to everything from there if you wanna find me elsewhere. Dunno why you'd want to, I'm boring as hell o.O_

_Anyways, I'd loooove some reviews, you guys are what's making the upcoming chapters even better! because seriously, they're gonna be SO EPIC! I have so much planned, the story isn't going to turn inso a bunch of fluff chapters this time around!_

_Your super-duper-excited authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"What do you mean you're not going?"

"I mean I'm not going." Alex replied, voice a bit short. Christy stared at her, mouth hanging open until Alex had to laugh. "You know I don't like the school dances Chris, you shouldn't be surprised."

Christy wasn't surprised. Not in the least. Alex and Jim had gone to the dances for the free food; that was about it. They'd always left early, often to just enjoy having the campus to themselves for once. But it was vital to the plan that Alex come tonight!

"You need to get out and be sociable. You've been hiding away up here for too long!"

Alex made a face. "I don't know… Besides, I don't have a dress or anything."

Christy shot her a look. "Don't give me that, we both know you'd gotten a new one for this very dance before…"

"Before Jim and I broke up, yes." She said it so casually, Christy would have believed her to be truly fine with it if she didn't know the girl better. "Now, I don't have a reason to go, so I didn't bring the dress with me."

Christy walked to the tiny wardrobe in Alex's room and pulled open the door. "Really? What's this then?"

A dress was hanging on the back of the door. Alex shot up from her seat, looking at it in awe.

"But I didn't…"

"You must have just forgotten about it." Christy said with a shrug, brushing a bright blue dreadlock over her shoulder. It was an outright lie. She'd messaged Sarah to sneak it into Alex's things. Christy had helped the girl unpack, hiding the dress in plain sight knowing Alex never used her wardrobe anyway. "Come on then girl, we need to get you ready."

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"Why'd you make me come along?" Jim asked for the dozenth time. He and Robin had been leaning against the wall for almost a half hour now, just watching the other students arrive and pair off, dancing or chatting with friends. At least Robin had a reason to be here…he had a girl coming.

"Because it's good for you. Besides, finals are over, you should want to celebrate with the rest of us!"

"A dance isn't how I usually celebrate." Jim grumbled. Robin chuckled and Jim rolled his eyes. "When your girl gets here, I'm leaving." He informed his lanky friend.

Robin didn't argue; something which made Jim a little suspicious. If he was so intent on having him here, why wouldn't he care about him leaving?

Whatever. Clearly the boy's head had been punctured by whoever was meeting him here. Jim hadn't ever seen Robin so excited about a girl before.

"Ah…there she is." Robin's voice made Jim look at the door, and to his surprise, he spotted Christy. Her blue dreadlocks were twisted into a pile atop her head, and she wore a strapless dress of the same color. Her large earrings and necklace sparkled in the lights of the ballroom. Jim had to admit, she looked fantastic. Robin was beaming, waving at her like an idiot and Jim had to chuckle in amusement. Robin and Christy huh? He hadn't seen that coming.

Christy spotted Robin and grinned, waving back. But before she came over, she turned around, talking to someone still outside the room. Well…arguing it looked like. Finally she reached out and grabbed someone's arm, tugging them through the doorway.

Jim felt his jaw go slack at the sight of Alex. She wore a silver silk dress, long and slim and draping perfectly in all the right places. The straps and bodice of the dress were covered in beads, making it glitter, and was much lower cut than anything he'd ever seen Alex wear before. The fabric hanging from it draped gracefully over her hips, just reaching the floor. When she moved he saw hints of silver heels, and her hair had been curled and half pinned up. He noticed silver strands twisting in her brunette locks, likely attached to the pin holding her hair back. He noticed one other thing that made his heart sing for a moment. The only jewelry she wore was the bracelet he'd given her at their first such dance, and the locket from her eighteenth birthday.

As he pulled his brain back up to his head, Jim glared at Robin. He'd set this up! He'd dragged Jim here just for this.

Alex was clearly noticing the exact same thing at the moment, as she stopped short and glared at Christy. Jim could tell she was doing everything in her power not to even look over at him and felt his heart thump painfully. Christy argued back in a whisper, and apparently won as the girls came up to them a moment later.

"I need some punch." Alex said as soon as Christy released her forearm, taking off. She dodged other groups of friends and couples, avoiding the dance floor with purpose. The refreshment table was thankfully crowded, letting her stand in line and calm down for a few moments.

Of course Jim was here…she'd been silly to think he would sit home just because he didn't have a girlfriend anymore. He did look rather dashing though…he'd filled out a lot in the past few months. She hadn't really noticed when she saw him every day, but after a break he looked wonderful. His uniform fit perfectly too…

"Stop it, Alex." She whispered, getting a strange look from the orange skinned boy in front of her. She gave him a sheepish grin and distracted herself by grabbing a small brownie cube and popping it into her mouth. The chocolaty goodness meant she would have to keep her mouth shut. She'd discovered recently that she had a bad habit of talking aloud to herself. It must come from not having anyone around to talk to most of the time…

Finally armed with her glass of dark red punch and a calmer state of mind, Alex made her way back to her friends. And Jim. She kept forgetting she couldn't really include him in that list. They'd moved away from the door and she finally spotted them over by a pillar. The entrance area was getting crowded with various couples meeting each other and forgetting to get out of the way for the other guests arriving.

What she saw next almost made her drop her punch. It was that girl…the blond one. She was waltzing right up to the group as if she belonged there, wrapping her hands around Jim's arm and looking up at him adoringly. No…no not again. She couldn't see this again.

She was about to turn and leave when she saw Jim yank his arm from the girl's hold. "Would you stop doing that?" he demanded. Alex slowly stepped a bit closer to hear better.

"Why? It's not like you have a girlfriend making it wrong."

"That's not the point Aeslinn, I've been telling you for ages to just leave me alone!"

Alex's lips parted in surprise as she realized what had happened. She hadn't…she hadn't been replaced after all. Suddenly her heart swelled like a balloon and she was having a hard time keeping her feet on the ground. Maybe Jim wasn't happy with how things were either…maybe they could fix them…

In the meantime though, that girl was in the way. And, from the barely contained annoyance she heard in Jim's voice, had been for a while. She looked around and spotted a trio of friends chatting away. Two boys and a girl. The girl and one of the guys were obviously a couple the way they kept talking only to each other. The third boy looked a little annoyed and a little lonely. And Alex noticed that his gaze kept moving over towards the blond Aeslinn.

Alex moved up to the group, slipping into a light accent. "Excuse me, are you Aeslinn?"

The blond turned and looked at her in surprise. "Why, yes I am." The other three looked very confused, but Alex didn't even let a mischievous glint enter her eyes.

"I thought so. You see…I have a friend over there, you see him by the plant? Well he's sort of got a thing for you and doesn't have the nerve to tell you himself."

Aeslinn's violet eyes looked past Alex's shoulder, and a smile appeared on her lips. "Really?"

"Really. I hate to bother you…but he's a real sweetheart and I'd really appreciate if you were to go ask him for a dance sometime tonight?"

The girl shrugged, but Alex could already see the focus of her mind turning from Jim to the other boy. "I think I can manage that."

She didn't even glance back, sweeping away to the other boy and linking her arm with his with a flirtatious smile. Only a second later, she was pulling him out onto the dance floor.

Alex smiled, happily if a bit smugly. "Well that takes care of that." She said in her false accent. "Now I just have to hope the doesn't realize who I am and wonder why I'm introducing her to boys I don't even know." She added with a giggle.

Christy laughed happily, nudging Jim with her elbow. "I think we're all glad to be rid of her, right Jim?"

"Right." Jim looked as if he was struggling to contain some emotion. Alex bit her lip and sipped at her punch, trying to look busy.

"Anyway, this is a dance." Christy said, looking up at Robin with a grin. "Aren't you going to ask me to?"

Alex grinned as Robin chuckled and bowed slightly. "My dear Christy, would you care for a dance with me?"

Christy replied in her typical way, laughing and gently punching him in the arm, before grabbing his hand and pulling him away.

Alex was happy for them. She hadn't been expecting them of all people to get together…but it did seem rather fitting. With Christy's blue dreadlocks containing sensitive antennae and Robin's blue scales on pale skin…they even matched! Complete opposites in every other way though. They seemed to balance each other out pretty well now that Alex thought about it.

The only problem was that now…it was just her and Jim. And she had no idea what to say. He seemed to be at a loss as well. The awkward silence grew for a few long minutes, with Alex sipping at her drink and Jim fiddling with the buttons on his sleeves.

They both cracked at the same time. "I think I'd like a drink too." "I'm going to see if I can find Sam and the others."

They took off in opposite directions and Alex sighed. It looked like it really was too late for them. She thought they might be able to become friends again…but even then it would likely only be in the presence of their other friends. It was just too hard to be alone with him…she had no idea what to say.

Alex was just pushing her way through the crowd when someone stopped her. Large hands on her shoulders kept her from just going around him, and she looked up in surprise.

"Can I help you?" she asked when the boy just looked at her. She grimaced a bit when his eyes wandered from her face, casually looking her up and down as if it didn't matter.

"I sure hope so."

Alex stepped back out of his hold, eyebrows together in a barely disguised frown. "I think you're going to want to find someone else." She stepped to the side to go past him, but he did the same, continuing to block her.

"Don't I know you?"

"I don't think so."

"Wait…wait I do know you. You're that Valentine girl!"

Alex looked up at him. She could see where this was going. "And…?"

"You sure clean up nice." The young man's previous desire seemed to have switched to amusement. "How much money did you spend on that dress, huh? Oh wait, you probably had to borrow it. You can't afford something that nice on your own." By now the guy's friends had begin to gather behind him to watch the fun. But Alex was sick of it.

Alex rolled her eyes. "You know what? You all can go screw yourself. I may not be a rich kid, spoiled rotten until I have no manners. And I may not have the money to hire people to do my homework. And hey, I buy my clothes based on whether or not they look good, not how much they cost." She interrupted her rant to speak directly to a girl on her right. "Sweetie, I don't care if its "fashionable", that it the ugliest dress I have ever seen." She smiled sweetly and went back to addressing the whole group. "So no, I'm not rich. But I'm smarter than you. I've got more common sense than you. I'll probably have a career before the rest of you and…quite frankly I think I'm better looking than all of you. So next time you want to make fun of me? You better have a damn good reason for it, and not make it about how much spare cash I have at my disposal."

She gave them all a nod and turned to leave. The main boy stopped her yet again and spun her around, grabbing her glass of punch from her hand and throwing it at her. Alex gasped and froze as the red punch streamed down her dress, staining the silk as it went.

"Oh yeah…real mature. You're only proving my point, buddy." She snapped, spinning and stalking away. She was sick of this party, she wasn't about to stay for any more of it.

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_I know, I know, nothing really happened...frankly the point of this chapter is to make Jim wonder why the hell he broke things off =P Meh, next chapter maybe things will change? I totally know if they will or not, but I don't plan on giving any hints XD_

_Anyways, please review! I've been super busy and rather uninspired these last few days...apparently a budding romance in my own life reduces the desire to write one o.O So I need inspiration, send me hugs and such!_

_Your Giddy Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

"Alex! Alex, wait!"

Alex didn't stop walking. She was angry, sad, tired, and now cold and wet thanks to the punch streaming down her front. And Jim calling for her to wait wasn't helping. She couldn't face him, not like this! The only reason she'd even been able to be near him tonight was because she'd looked amazing in her dress. Now that it had been ruined, her shield of confidence was shattered.

"Alex!"

"Just go away Jim." She called over her shoulder.

She heard his footsteps drawing closer and sped up, but he caught up anyway. Damn heels… "No."

"No? Jim I just want to go to bed, please leave me alone." She begged.

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave, I thought you were going to find Sam, Graham, and Charlie?"

"I was…I changed my mind." He hadn't seen…he hadn't seen what those kids did to her…she was both intensely grateful and disappointed. She'd wanted him to see why she'd been having such a hard time here, it would mean she didn't have to try and tell him.

"Alex, just slow down!"

She stopped short just before moving under a street light. Hopefully the shadows would hide the red stain on her dress along with her over-bright eyes. "What?"

"Look…Alex, I just thought…maybe we should talk." He looked so unsure that her heart was already melting. She ordered it to stop as she turned to him.

"About what Jim?"

"About what-" He stopped, squinting in the dark at her dress. "Alex, what happened?"

"What are you talking about?"

Her voice was too casual, and she knew it. Jim pulled her forward a few steps, letting the light of the streetlamp wash over them both. "What happened to your dress?"

"Those stupid rich kids are what happened." Alex snapped. She hoped he knew her anger wasn't directed at him. "They were making fun of me for not being able to afford the dress…and I sort of talked back and insulted them in every possible way." She groaned, looking herself over.

"Jim, I just want to change and go to sleep." She told him again, moving past him to her dorm. She was almost there…she just needed to get away. She was going to cry. Again. It happened all too often these days. But she didn't want Jim to know…not with everything else!

"No Alex, we need to talk."

"No, we don't!" She hurried up the front steps and into the elevator of the building, glaring at the boy when he stopped the doors from closing and followed her in.

"Yes we do. Alex, this whole thing is a mess, we can fix it!"

"Can we?" she asked, clenching her fists. He was saying everything she'd been dreaming of him saying for weeks. She just didn't trust it. "Do we even want to?"

"Want to? Of course I want to. Alex…I'm miserable without you."

Alex looked up at him, blinking tears from her eyes. "Jim, how am I supposed to trust you? After everything…I don't even know if I can."

"Do you want to try?"

She shrugged, turning away. "I don't know…are you willing to listen?"

"Are you willing to talk?"

Her defenses were gone, but she glared at him. "What if I don't have anything to say?" The elevator doors opened and she walked out, heading to her room. She pulled her key from where she'd hidden it in her dress and opened the door, trying to close it behind her. Jim didn't let her, pushing the door back open and following her into her room.

"I think we both know you do. Alex, I don't even know who you are!"

"How can you say that?" Alex almost screeched. She smacked the button on the wall which lowered the blinds on the room's large window. "You've known me for years and you don't know who I am? Thanks ever so."

Jim glared. "You showed up as a kid on the doorstep, and haven't told a single person about where you came from. For all I know, the Alex I knew is a lie."

"You know that's not true and you know it! Or you better know it…"

"That's not the point Alex. Where the hell did you come from? Where are your parents? Why are you scared of your past?"

"Because it hurts to think about it!" Alex shouted. Jim had pushed too far, and she was cracking. "You wanna know about my past? Fine! My parents used me as a part of their con, selling me as a slave and then stealing me back before heading to another city or another planet to do it all over again. My mother used to beat me if I didn't get my chores done in time. My own father tried to take advantage of me when I was ten! Do you wanna know the dirty details? Why do you think I ran away?"

Jim's jaw flapped, at a loss for words. Alex glared at him. "That's what I thought. Now go away."

She turned and faced the window, arms crossed as she waited for him to leave. She was embarrassed and ashamed…she felt dirty, as if even recalling her childhood meant it had caught up to her. Her parents were such awful people…and she knew all too well how often kids turned out like their parents. She didn't want to be like them…but what if she did?

She waited for the telltale clicking of the door closing behind Jim, but instead she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked at it, her eyes trailing up Jim's arm to his face.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah…well you better be." She grumbled, moving out of his reach. "If I wanted to talk about it, don't you think I would?"

Jim rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You don't get it do you?"

"Get what, that you're nosy?"

"You see? You _don't_ get it! Alex…why do you seem to think that telling me about the bad stuff is against the rules? You don't mind talking about the good things that happen-"

"There was nothing good in my past, Jim!"

"It's not about your past! Nothing is about your past! It's over, now get over it!"

Now Alex was shocked into silence. Jim went on.

"Look, I get that it wasn't good…but it's not happening anymore. You left, you found us, and grew up great. We don't beat you or try and hurt you, or anything like that…but you can't trust us. You can't trust _me_."

Alex shook her head. "I do trust you Jim…I do. I just…don't like being weak."

"Same thing. Alex…trusting someone is when you know that it's okay to be weak in front of someone because you know that they would never hold it against you or take advantage of it."

Tears streamed down Alex's face. "I know…I know, I really do. I just…Its hard." Her voice was little more than a sad squeak.

Jim stepped forward, pulling her into a hug. "I know…Alex you just need to learn that you can trust me. You can tell me anything. I'm not going to hurt you, ever."

"I know that too… Jim, I'm so sorry. And I'm sorry I didn't explain that night at the Pavilion better, I didn't know who Lorn was and I didn't mean to mess everything up."

Jim chuckled slightly and she looked up at him. "Alex?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry I didn't listen."

She wilted a little, smiling at him. "I should have just told you…"

"You should have." he agreed. "But I'm willing to move on if you are."

She shook her head. "No…no, this is something we need to talk about before we just forget about it." She said, her smile growing a bit crooked. Jim grinned and leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. Their first kiss in two months was almost better than their first ever. In some ways, absence really did make the heart grow fonder.

"Jim…I need to change. My dress is ruined as it is." She whispered, pulling back a centimeter. Even his nose brushing against hers made sparks fly through her skin.

"Well I agree about taking it off…I'm not sure about putting anything else on though." He whispered, making her shiver agreeably.

"Oh really? But that wouldn't be fair…you have a few too many clothes on for that."

"That's fixable."

"Then you better fix it. It takes a lot less time for me to lose the dress."

Jim chuckled, kissing her again as he shrugged off his jacket before his fingers found the zipper on the back of her dress.

Neither stayed dressed much longer.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Jim woke to a soft beeping noise and grunted, reaching over and smacking the alarm clock right off the desk.

"Well that was a bit harsh." Alex's voice was little more than a soft whisper, her breath on his skin giving him goose bumps.

"It wasn't on purpose." He complained lightly. "My clock is further away."

"Excuses excuses. What time is it?"

"I don't know, I just smashed your clock."

"Oh yeah…"

Jim chuckled softly, looking down. Alex was draped across his chest, her eyes still closed and her hair finally going limp. There was still some curl left over from the night before, and a few silver strands that had pulled free of the clip that was…somewhere across the room with her dress.

He couldn't imagine a better way to wake up. The blinds were still closed, slits between the metal panels letting just enough sunshine into the room to give it a soft glow. Everything seemed softer in the half light, though Alex still seemed to be softer than everything else. Her smooth skin against his was so beyond perfect be was at a loss for words.

"What?" He glanced down and smiled at the young woman's sleepy blue eyes which she'd finally forced open. Apparently he'd been too busy grinning at the ceiling like an idiot to notice.

"Nothin'." he whispered, rolling onto his side as he pulled her close. "Just happy."

"Me too." Her voice was a little muffled, seeing as she'd buried her face in the crook of his neck. "I don't know if I've ever been happier. I don't even know if it's possible!"

Jim chuckled, burying his nose in her hair. He'd never really noticed it before…but she smelled a little like roses. "I wonder what time it is." He wondered aloud.

"If you hadn't broken my clock, we'd know. Hold on." Alex pushed herself up from the mattress, reaching right over him to open a desk drawer, where she pulled out an old watch. Jim didn't force himself to keep his eyes on her face, it would have been a pointless effort anyway. Instead he found himself pouting when she pulled the sheet up over her chest once more.

"Oh stop it." She grumbled, blushing a bit even as she hid a smile. She looked at the watch and sighed. "It's almost two in the afternoon…if we want to get any lunch, we'll have to be quick."

Jim snorted. "Who needs food?" he asked, snaking his arms about her waist. "It's overrated."

"You won't say that when your stomach starts growling." She pointed out, though she seemed more than happy to curl up against him once more. She covered a yawn and let her eyes close. "I think I'll be alright until supper." She whispered.

Jim's smile softened as she fell asleep once more, carefully brushing her hair from her face and kissing her forehead.

"I love you, Alex."

She smiled in her sleep, and he knew without a doubt that she felt the same way.

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Whaaaaaat? What just happened? Did Whisper really leave everyone with a _happy_ chapter? Is the sky still in place? Have the waters of the world turned to honey? Is the world still spinning?_

_Huh...apparently yes! Guess I can give you all a break from the torture! For now :D Oh man oh man, just wait until next chapter, I'm gonna blow it all to bits XD_

_Your Lovey-dovey authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Alex twitched, frowning in her sleep. Some unfamiliar sound was wailing in her ears, transferring into her dream and ruining it. She curled into her warm pillow that was Jim and was ready to sleep right through it when something else boomed so near her head that she shot upright.

"What was that?" Jim scrambled to untangle himself from the sheets, rolling over to peer through the blinds. Alex didn't bother to untangle herself, just holding the sheet to her chest as she slipped out of bed to do the same. The sight that met her eyes made her gasp in horror.

The campus was under attack! A nearby explosion had set the tree below her window on fire, and she could hear it crackling angrily even through the thick glass.

Slowly the wailing sound registered in her mind. "The sirens! It's the call to arms!" she exclaimed, horrified. Far below, students already in their uniforms ran around, helping where they were needed.

"We have to help." She whispered, turning around and yanking open the trunk at the foot of her bed. In seconds, she was dressed in the black tank top and the white skirt of her uniform, pulling on her boots before grabbing her jacket. Jim, having done the exact same thing, was right behind her when she dashed out her door. The elevators were out of order, so they took the stairs, only stopping when they reached the crossroads before the silver towers.

Pale blue eyes met dark sapphire, and Alex found herself biting back a sob.

"I have to report to Birch." She whispered, another explosion making her flinch. Jim nodded.

"I've got Matkins."

Silence fell between the two of them, unable to believe what was happening. They'd only been back together for a single night, why was this happening now? It felt to Alex as if the universe itself was trying to tear them apart.

Another loud crash broke them both from their trance, moving forward for a lingering, desperate kiss. "I love you." Alex breathed. Jim held her so tightly she could feel the pressure on her ribs.

"And I love you. Don't worry Alex, I'll see you when this is all over."

"I better." Alex retorted, kissing him one last time before she turned and ran towards her commanding officer. She didn't look back, knowing that Jim wouldn't likely be looking after her anyway. They had work to do, and she was going to make damn sure that the attackers paid dearly for ruining the best day of her life!

Professor Birch was in charge of the mechanics division of the school, and she was standing on a precarious pile of rubble, shouting at the crowd below her. Hot pink hair was cut short and spiked, though a tad smooshed on one side as if she'd just woken up from a nap. Alex jogged the last way to the crowd, before pushing herself forward so she could hear what was going on. Half her mechanic classmates were in a panic. They weren't soldiers, they hadn't signed up for anything like this! Most of them just wanted to live quiet lives and fix things for the rest of their life.

Alex agreed, she didn't like the fighting and the destruction all around her. But unlike the girl to her right who was sobbing and barely able to stand, she was perfectly calm. It actually made her nervous how calm she was. She wasn't even frightened! She just wanted to get her orders and try and end this.

"Professor?"

"Ah, Alex! Good, you're here. Go over by the fallen statue and wait for me, I need to get these louts in some form of order." Birch's voice was raspy, like she'd been inhaling smoke. Alex wondered if the building housing the teacher's apartments was what was blazing off in the distance. She couldn't imagine losing her home like that, many of the professors here lived in those apartments year round!

She listened to Birch shouting for her students to shut up and get in line like proper Academy students. It did little good to calm the fears of the crowd, but at least they were getting quiet.

"Alright you lot, this is not a drill! I want you to get in line and await your orders. Keep your head screwed on tight, we're all going to be needed before the night is out. We've already lost the main power cells in the West lawn, we have some serious rerouting to do."

The promise of work and a puzzle to be solved did more to calm the mechanics in training than anything else. Like Alex, they needed to do something in order to stay calm. Waiting would drive them all insane.

Birch leapt down from her perch and through the first few rows of students, coming up to Alex only a second later. The woman's fuzzy black ears rotated a bit, making sure the students were keeping it together, her dog-like nose wrinkling.

"A bunch of babies." She grumbled, so only Alex could hear. "I'll start thinking up stuff for them to do, but I've got a big job that needs doing."

"And you want me to do it?" Alex asked incredulously. Of all the students here, she was never expecting to be picked for something important. She wasn't even the oldest one here!

"Yes. This is not an easy job, and it's going to need someone with a clear head and a good sense of what needs doing. You have both, girlie. You know the Main Hall?"

"Of course." Everyone knew the Main Hall, it was right in the center of campus. It was a simple building of white washed wood, and looked almost like a very large ship. Alex had always thought it seemed a little out of place amongst the green and white marble that made up many of the other buildings.

"Well, it's exactly what it looks like, a ship. That was the original school, traveling around seeking students to join the academy. And…never mind, I'll save the history lesson for another time. All you need to know is that it's a ship and we need to get it off the ground!"

Though curiosity burned at her mind, Alex made herself focus. "How long has it been since it was last in the air?"

"Years. It's not in the best repair ever, but it's kept clean."

"So it's not ready to fly?"

"Not right now it isn't. I want you to change that."

"I'll need a team."

"You've got your pick. Just hurry, we don't have enough time to dilly dally."

Alex stood straight and saluted the woman. "Yes Ma'am."

Birch saluted her in return, waving for her to hurry. "Good luck, Alex."

"Thanks, Professor."

Alex didn't even have to think about her next movie, running into the crowd of students. They were trying to line up, they really were, they were just failing miserably. Alex shoved at anyone who got in her way, this was no time to be shy about things. She ignored any and all protests, grabbing the arms of the people she wanted with her.

By the time she was done, four other students stood with her beside the waggling line of mechanics students. The twins, Mart and Mary, both orange skinned aliens with red hair that was literally flames licking at the back of their heads. Cora, a large, very strong young woman with a third eye in the center of her forehead. And Briggs, a tall lanky young man with small black spikes trailing down his spine and arms. The four of them were the best, and though they never really talked to each other, they all knew it.

"Birch got something good for us?" Briggs asked, a smirk on his face as he cracked his knuckles.

"Better be, I don't want to go around fixing light bulbs." Cora grunted.

Alex grinned. "Only the best for the best. It's up to us to fix the Main Hall into the ship it's supposed to be."

"That thing is a ship?" Mart asked.

"I knew it!" Mary finished. Unlike human twins, Mart and Mary really did have a mental connection; they shared a linked brain which made them just as similar in mind as they were in body. It wasn't unusual for people to simply call them both Mar, addressing them as a single person. And they liked it that way.

"Come on then, Birch says it's going to need a lot of work!" Alex turned and ran down the road, dodging a pile of rubble that had once been the wall of cafeteria. The twins jumped from the ground, floating along hand in hand. Cora and Briggs were with fast on their feet as well, and the group dashed across campus towards their goal.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Jim heard Matkins long before he saw the man. He was enormous, with a very large mouth capable of speaking at incredible volumes. It was a very handy trait for a man in charge of the pilots and soldiers, they tended to be very loud and hard to talk over.

Now, in the midst of the attack, the students were shouting, wanting nothing more than to fight back! Jim was right along with them in mindset. He didn't who was attacking them, and at this point, he didn't care. They'd not only ruined a wonderful day, but they were attacking his school. The place he'd come to think of as a second home, the place helping him to follow his dreams.

"Oy! Shut up you lot!" Matkins roared over the crowd's growing volume, effectively cutting it off immediately. "Now we're gonna fight back, but we can't do it alone. We're pilots, and we're going to have to work together!"

"That's where I come in." Hawthorn was an enormous man with soft green skin, the grass making up his hair pulled back into a low ponytail. He was naturally loud, and without any effort at all, everyone heard every word he said. Being in charge of the soldiers among the students, it was a good trait to have. "My own students are as ready for a fight as you all are. So we're going to work together to fight back. You'll be paired off and assigned a hanger. Each hanger, as you know, contains different ships. From what Matkins tells me, you can all fly all of them. Teachers there will give you further instructions there. Now stay quiet while we get to work."

Jim was already moving, pushing his way through the crowd of pilots to where the soldiers stood at the far edge of it. Sam would be there…and if he was going to work with anyone, he wanted Sam on his side. The pair trusted each other without question, and Jim knew there was no better soldier among the students.

He finally spotted the boy and popped up at his side with a cocky grin. Sam grinned back, patting his shoulder in silence. "You skipped out of the dance early. So did Alex. Everything alright?"

Jim's smile went a tad goofy, even as he rolled his eyes in amusement. It was just like Sam… the world around them was falling apart and he was more worried about the wellbeing of his friends.

"More than alright." Jim admitted, hiding his glee with a shrug. "I'll tell you about it later."

Sam's grin widened as he clapped the shorter boy on the shoulder. "I knew it."

Before either of them could say another word, Matkins and Hawthorn were before them. "You two good to go?" Matkins asked, his spiky hair red with rage.

"Yes sir." Jim and Sam saluted at the same time.

"Good, head to hanger four. I hope you're as good as Matkins claims, Mr. Hawkins." Hawthorn's voice was as dry as the bark like texture of his arms.

"Better than." Jim assured him, before he and Sam turned to run off.

"What's in Hanger Four?" Sam asked as they ran.

Jim couldn't hide the grin. "The S4-7s."

Sam's own smile grew at the promise of getting to fly in the brand new ships. The school had only gotten them a month before, and the small ships were ideal in every way possible. Quicker maneuverability, better engines, and bigger guns.

They were going to kick some butt.

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Muahahaha, and chaos ensues! Told you I had plans. This is pretty much the beginning of a whole new storyplot! I needed something to happen, or the story would turn into fluff =P_

_I hate having to do this, but about the last chapter...I don't think most of you minded, but I did get a review which I wasn't able to reply to as they have their PM feature turned off. I wrote that particular scene so that people could take it however they chose. Some don't mind if they slept together, others may not like that idea. I wrote it in such a way that my readers can finish the scene in their own preference, as it were. Maybe some people think it was a cheap way out of a situation...but quite frankly, it's realistic. Honestly, Alex and Jim were both more than ready to get back together, they weren't about to hold grudges when they both realized their mistakes and had admitted to them. So no, I don't think it was a bad way to wrap up their fight. I'm sorry if you disagree, but I didn't see a need to draw things out any further. I have a story to write, I don't want it to be all about drama like that =P_

_But anyways, I like the way things are going and I hope you do too! Well...if you hate me for being evil, that's good too. Means I'm doing my job well =P However, action scenes like this are really hard for me to write, so please review and let me know how I'm doing! I'd appreciate the help to improve and/or reassurance that I'm doing good ^^;_

_Also, I drew Alex! And another pic of Alex and Jim's first kiss! The links to the pictures are posted in my profile, since the links will get messed up if I post them here .  
_

_Your Stumped Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

"Nice shot Sam!" Jim shouted, throwing the throttle open and yanking it to the right just in time to dodge the flaming wreckage of the ship his friend had shot down.

The S4-7 was everything Jim had known it would be. The polished wooden hull was shallow, and the single mast and triangular sail made it a lot like the dingy Jim had learned to fly while on the R.L.S. Legacy. The main difference was that while Jim sat in back to steer, a large mounted gun sat in front, where Sam had taken up position to take down other ships.

The battle had been going for ages now, and Jim was starting to wonder if it would ever end. They'd gotten no word as to who it was they were fighting yet. All he knew was how they fought. They reminded him a lot of the pirate's style of attacking. There were three larger ships flying high in the sky overhead, with many smaller ships flying down to attack. Very quick, they'd attack and retreat, flying down in wave after wave. The students were doing very well holding them off, but they couldn't last forever. This was a school, not an army.

What boggled Jim's mind most was how they'd been found. The school had a special line of defenses to prevent this exact thing from happening. One such defense included a unique disruptor which would prevent a scanner from pining down their exact location. These people seemed to have been able to find them a little too quickly and too easily.

"Um…Jim?"

"Yeah?" Jim grunted and swooped them to the left, avoiding the fire of another enemy ship.

"Why is the Main Hall…moving?"

"What?" Jim cast a look around, his brain automatically calculating a route so he could look down without crashing them into anything. To his surprise, the Main Hall was indeed moving. Upwards. The boys watched with wide eyes as the entire building pulled from the ground, the dirt and red grasses around it tumbling away.

"It's a ship!" Jim realized aloud as the building finally pulled free entirely. He'd always known it had looked like one…he'd never expected it to actually be one though! He'd figured it was a style thing…

He looked at the old thing with a wide smile. The ship was an older model, but it was also enormous. The Man-of-war ship boasted over 100 canons from what Jim could see, and the many sails were being dropped to absorb whatever sunlight they could find.

The thought made Jim blink in surprise. Sunlight? His eyes moved to the North East, where the first of the two suns was rising. They'd been fighting all night!

He looked back at the enormous ship and grinned again. Well now they had a little something to fight back with. This battle may be over pretty soon, if they had anything to say about it.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Alex dropped her enormous wrench with a wince, sucking on her finger where she'd managed to pinch it between two very heavy bits of metal. She glared at the spot, already able to see the blood blister forming beneath the surface of the skin. Wonderful…

She looked up and around, then out a tiny porthole to the world outside. She'd been working down in the engine room of the hold for hours now, the bits of sunlight flooding through the dusty glass were comforting enough to almost be overwhelming.

Something flashed by outside and she hurried forward, pressing her nose to the glass. It looked like a war was going on outside! She could see the ground falling away slowly as the Main Hall lifted into the air…but her triumph was overshadowed by the destruction outside.

And somewhere out there was Jim. Fighting to save them all… The sight of ships in flames made her heart freeze in horror and fear. She couldn't just stand here, even if the Hall was flying and ready to go. The rest of her little group had all made their way to the bridge to watch the flight and keep an eye out for trouble. Alex was far too restless to stand around waiting for something to go wrong.

How had this happened? It was something which had been bothering her for hours, her brain whirling as she'd worked on various things. The attack was too perfect…she'd spoken with one of the teachers helping out with the cleaning up of the ship an hour or so before. They'd had no warning. Normally the school's scanners would have been able to pick up any incoming fleas, let alone the three large ships hiding high above them. But they hadn't known a thing until suddenly they were under attack.

Alex didn't know how they'd managed to stay hidden for so long…but she did suspect that they had some help. She also suspected that some of that help was coming from the campus itself. She hadn't missed that even before the attackers knew that Main Hall was a real ship, they'd been focusing a lot of their fire on the building. It wasn't even the center of campus, what had been drawing them to the Hall?

"Hey, Charlie?"

The tiny blond lad was at her side only a moment later. His skills with computers had been put to work alongside the mechanics, and the pair had stuck together most of the night to keep an eye on each other.

"What's up, Alex?"

"Do you have a scanner on you?"

"Always." He pulled a small scanner out of his pocket and Alex nodded, eyes drawn to the window once more. She forced herself to turn away from it in an effort to focus.

"Can you search to see if there's some sort of signal being sent from somewhere nearby? Something which would act as a homing beacon?"

Charlie looked puzzled, but nodded, grey eyes lowering to the screen in his hand. Alex waited patiently, watching him work. Only seconds later his eyebrows clicked together in a frown and she knew she'd been right.

"There's something…it's not really strong or anything. But I don't know what it would be…"

"I bet I do. Show me where."

The boy turned in a circle before taking off, leading her along the mazelike paths surrounding the engine. The Legacy's had been a fraction of the size, this engine was large enough that they needed multiple levels of catwalks in order to reach everything they'd need to.

"There." Alex stopped short, kneeling and looking where Charlie was pointing. There, stuck innocently to the side of the central cell storage box, was a tiny metal button. Alex frowned, reaching it out and plucking it from the engine.

"It's using the battery's solar energy to stay powered up." She realized, inspecting the tiny thing.

"What is it?"

"It's exactly what I thought it was. A homing beacon. This is how the enemy knew where we were."

"But…but how did it get here? If it'd been turned on before the attack, we would have picked up the signal."

Alex nodded, continuing to inspect the button with narrowed blue eyes. "It can be powered down. I'd even suspect you can do it from a distance…"

Charlie grinned at that, holding out a hand. "Let me see. I may be able to trace the signal." Alex placed the small button in his open palm, watching as he held it up to the scanner. The thumb on his right hand flew across the controls in a blur. "I have to eliminate the signal which called on the attackers, and find the background signal. It won't be strong…it may not even be on when someone isn't controlling it from a distance. But if I can just turn it on and off for a moment…"

Alex waited, a small smile growing as she sensed Charlie's plan working. This was perfect…if they could trace a signal, then they might be able to find out how the tracker dot had gotten here in the first place. She had to admit…this whole puzzle solving thing was fun. She was a mechanic at heart, but she understood machines without any trouble. This was something that required a little more brain power.

"Got it! It's coming from...uh oh."

"Uh oh? Uh oh what?" Alex grabbed the scanner from Charlie's hand when he didn't move, looking at the tiny glowing blue dot on the screen.

"Oh…space kittens." She muttered angrily.

Without another word, the pair took off running down the halls, down to the lowest level where the dinghies were tied up. They hopped into one and flew away from the Main Hall ship, straight towards the hall where the teachers had their own apartments.

This didn't make sense…Alex knew it didn't make sense. Why would the signal be coming from the teacher's apartments? Every professional hired on as a teacher had been handpicked. The jobs weren't widely available for people to apply for, they were invitation only. Besides…as they came within view, it made even less sense. Half the building was destroyed, the entire western end reduced to burning rubble.

"The signal is still active?"

"Not active exactly…but live. It's still connecting to something." Charlie told her, hanging on for dear life. He never did well flying on smaller ships like this…Alex was grateful he hadn't left her alone for this though. She followed his directions and landed the skiff at the far end of the building, where they hopped out and snuck through the doors.

"Now where?"

Charlie didn't reply, simply leading the way. Alex followed, keeping an eye out and steering the mousy boy around obstacles in his path. He was so focused on the scanner that he seemed to be rather prone to running into things.

So when he stopped short, Alex did as well. Both of them looked around in confusion.

"There's nothing here." Alex said after a few moments of silence.

"I noticed."

"But…there's nothing. Where's the signal coming from?"

"Here." Charlie showed her the scanner for proof. "It just ends right here."

Alex took the scanner once more, squinting close to the screen. He was right…they were right on top of it. Finally it hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Their cloaking device."

"What?"

"One of the senior mechs told me that we didn't know the enemy ships were here until they were right on top of us. They have some sort of cloaking device which hid them from our scanners. If whoever set this up is on their side, they probably have the same thing."

"Well that's just great." Charlie grumbled. "How are we supposed to find them then?"

Alex grinned. "It fools scanners…not our eyes." She reminded him. She turned to her right where a large modern painting hung on the wall. "Check everything nearby. Something has to lead to the secret place."

As she pulled the painting away from the wall, Charlie moved a vase off of a nearby table. The pair continued their manual search until Charlie grabbed a wall sconce and the whole thing creaked downward like a handle.

A section of wall right beside it popped open, and the pair exchanged triumphant smiles. Alex put a finger to her lips, not wanting to let whoever was inside know they were there. Charlie shook his head, taking a step back. Alex made a face, but didn't have time to bother with this right now. Someone had to go in there…and it may as well be her.

The secret passage before her was almost pitch black, but she shoved aside any nervousness about it and plunged right in. She made her way slowly along the tiny area, one foot easing in front of the other. It paralleled the regular hallway most of the way, and finally turned left. Alex eased her nose around the corner, a single eye looking around.

Pale blue eyes went wide. Before her was a room lit only by the many computer monitors hung on the far wall. Someone sat before them all in a single swivel chair in the center, a control panel wrapping around in front of him. It was the ultimate control center. Alex could see that many of the screens seemed to be hooked up to the school security system, where he could piggyback the thing and know where the people were.

Right now, he was giggling like mad, clapping two sets of hands as he watched the destruction with glee. Alex didn't recognize him from here…but it didn't matter. She had to do something.

She crept forward, spotting a laser pistol on a nearby mattress which lay directly on the floor. She knelt and lifted the weapon, flicking it on to charge it, biting her lip as the faint noise that accompanied the action went unnoticed.

In a single move, she slipped past the four armed man, pointing the pistol right between his eyes. He froze, quaking in fear. She noticed his eyes flick to a small screen on the lower corner…one which showed the hallway she'd just entered through, Charlie still stood outside the doorway. The man hadn't noticed them in the midst of his excitement.

"You seem to have a slight breech in your system." Alex's scathing voice was rougher than sandpaper. "And I find myself not caring in the least."

"I don't know what you're talking about." The male glared at her, though he still trembled. "I'm trying to help."

"I'm sure." The mechanic sent him a look that would set a forest flame. "You seem to be having a little too much fun. Call off the attack."

"I don't have the authority to-" Alex interrupted him, pressing the gun to his head more firmly. "You wouldn't…you're just a girl, you wouldn't…"

"Oh really? This girl happens to love this school. She happens to have friends out there fighting and a boyfriend she loves very much. Don't think for one second that your life means more to me than theirs."

She didn't know if she sounded as frightening as she was aiming for, but apparently it was enough. The man reached out a single trembling hand and lifted a tiny communicator.

"Sir…I've been found."

The reply was lost in a burst of static, but Alex didn't mind as all she'd managed to catch were curses anyway. She found herself doubting this was a very well organized attack…not if whoever was in charge was so easy to anger.

Silence fell over the room. Out of the corner of her eye, Alex spotted the enemy ships stop their attack, turning and flying away in an effort to escape. Though she never wavered in her gaze, the smile bloomed on her face.

"Very nice. Now how about we get you tied up nice and proper, hmm?"

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Woot, Alex to the rescue! And woot for action! Alright, I'm still not sure I did that well...action stuff isn't really my forte ^^; I'm better with emotional drama :P_

_I could really really use some inspiration guys...I only got three reviews last chapter. Maybe I've gotten spoiled, but I really enjoy hearing what you guys think! But yeah, I'm trying to get as much as i can written this weekend, since I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year and will be focusing on an original novel throughout November. I don't want to leave you guys in the dark, so I'm working ahead as best I can. And I write best when I hear from you guys! So please pretty please, if you don't mind taking the time to tell me what you thought, I'd looove to hear from you!_

_Your Busy Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

"Alex?" Professor Birch's shocked voice made the exhausted Alex giggle to herself.

"Can we get him locked up before I explain?" she begged. She was half terrified the four armed man would find a way to escape, she didn't want to reveal just how frightened in front of him.

Birch hurried to help, and the two escorted the man to the Main Hall which had landed nearby. He was tossed into the brig and locked away, before Birch led her to the captain's quarters of the ship. The stateroom was in horrible disrepair after being left empty for years. At one point the headmaster had lived here…now he lived in a small floating island of a mansion over the campus. Alex didn't like the headmaster much. He was too high and mighty and full of himself. But now the room offered a perfect private place for a conversation.

"Take a seat Alex…and why don't you tell me what exactly happened?"

Recounting the story took much less time than Alex thought it would. It was odd…as it had been happening, every moment had seemed to last an eternity: full of fear and uncertainty and action. Retelling it was over in only a few minutes.

By the time she was done, Birch was looking at her with the oddest expression in her canid brown eyes. Alex shifted under the woman's scrutiny, eyes on her knees.

"You know Alex…being a mechanic might not be your calling." Alex sent her a look of blatant disbelief, making the pink haired woman laugh. "Alright alright, we both know it is. But it may not be your only gift."

"What do you mean?" Alex was tired and at this point just wanted to go find Jim. She didn't have enough focus for her teacher's roundabout explanation.

"Alright I'll be frank. Have you ever considered spy work?"

_That_ caught the girl's attention. "What work?"

"Spy work. You're smart Alex, and I don't say that lightly. You can keep calm in any situation I've ever seen you put in, you can hold your own, and you know how to think like the enemy."

"Ummm…thank you?" she said softly, unsure how else to respond. Birch chuckled.

"What you did today…you saved the whole school you realize? You thought of something, found a lead, and followed it right to the end, heedless of any danger to yourself. That's what spies do all the time."

"Well…that's great and all." Alex admitted. "But the fact is I don't think I'm really spy material. I've never even thought about it before."

"Which is why you'd be perfect! Most kids who come here wanting to be spies are a little too gung-ho about it, and tend to get themselves in trouble more often than not. I know you Alex, and you're smart enough to keep yourself from getting overconfident."

Alex stared at her. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yes I am."

Neither spoke for a long moment and Alex was grateful. Her whirling thoughts needed to be sorted out…

She remembered how much fun it was to chase the lead she'd found. The reality hadn't been entertaining in the least; she'd been half terrified to death for most of it. But looking back? She'd gotten a hunch and followed her gut instinct. And she'd been _right_. And she'd helped. Being a mechanic was important yes…but between helping to fix the Main Hall and ending the fight altogether, there was no question which she was more proud of.

"What…exactly would I have to do?"

"For starters, you wouldn't be able to tell anyone." The pink haired professor said. "You wouldn't be much of a secret weapon if the whole campus knew about you."

Alex made a face. More secrets…wonderful. Though she didn't think Birch would mind all that much if she were to tell Jim what was going on. He knew how to keep his mouth shut, even if he did have a bit of a temper. The idea of keeping something like this from him didn't settle well, especially after everything that had recently happened.

"I can do that."

"I'm serious Alex. Not even Jim."

Alex looked up with a frown, ignoring the fact that it was her teacher she was glaring at. "I can't keep this a secret from him." She said flatly. "It's not fair for either of us."

Birch shook her head. "Just try…I know you don't like it, and neither do I. But please just try. If you have to tell him I understand…but you have to remember this if his own good as well as yours. You'll have extra classes and more work, and on later missions you'll be given extra objectives you won't be able to share. I know how difficult it can be, knowing someone you care about it putting themselves in more danger that you can't help with."

Alex stared and Birch smiled. "My husband." She said with a soft smile. "He'll be your teacher actually. Every time he sneaks off for some reason I worry about him. If you want to spare Jim…consider not letting him know exactly what's happening."

Alex nodded once…but knew it wouldn't last long. Worry or not, she wasn't about to put her newly repaired relationship into jeopardy over a new line of work. Nothing was worth losing Jim.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Jim cheered with the rest of his classmates when the enemy ships suddenly turned and flew away. They'd done it! They'd won!

His cheer was cut short when he remembered that their solar sail had an enormous hole in it, and the mast it was attached to was just about ready to fall over.

"Um…Jim?"

"Yeah Sam?"

"The ground is coming up a might fast, isn't it?"

Jim grunted in assent, pulling on the throttle in an effort to stabilize the falling ship. There wasn't much he could do really, so he shut off the engine completely, putting out the flames. The sail kept them aloft a little bit, and he was able to coast them slowly to the ground.

They landed with a sickening crunch, the accompanying lurch tossing both Jim and Sam from their seats and right off the ship. Jim rolled to a stop, groaning as he pushed himself upright. "Sam?"

"I'm good." The burly young man replied, inspecting a cut in the webbing between his fingers. "Alive anyway. But hey, we won!"

The reminder made Jim grin and climb to his feet, looking around. The campus was half destroyed, and the rest of it seemed to be on fire. Already people were working to gather together to put them out, trying to save what was left.

Despite it all, everyone seemed to be in a celebratory mood. They'd done it! They'd survived, and they'd won!

The fires were put out one by one, and soon there wasn't much left to do. Jim didn't know who'd started the music, but soon the entire area in the central area of campus had turned into a giant party. Even the teachers were participating! Jim spotted them dancing and chatting with their students. In the aftermath of the battle, no one really cared about the age or rank differences, they were too busy enjoying being alive.

"Sam! Jim!" The boys turned to see Charlie, he small boy dodging the taller students as he ran towards them. Jim laughed when he practically crashed into him, hugging him around the middle. "You're okay!"

"Of course we're okay." Sam said, grunting when Charlie turned to hug him instead. "We're the best after all."

"Yeah yeah, doesn't mean we couldn't worry." The female voice came from Jim's left and he turned to see Christy. Jim grinned at her, pulling her into a one-armed hug.

"Where'd you work? Did the navigators have anything to do?"

"A few went to work on the Main Hall ship, but the profs handled it. Most of us just worked on fire control down here." She paused, her eyes searching the crowd. "So…any sign of Robin?" She tried so hard to sound casual Jim knew she must really be worried. Normally Christy wasn't a girl who would disguise her emotions. It seemed she really did care for the guy.

"Not yet." He admitted, wishing he could say otherwise. "Alex?"

"Haven't seen her." Christy replied without thinking, before she turned to give Jim a sly look. "Why?"

"Let's just say the plan worked." Sam said with a laugh. "He and Alex got back together last night."

"Really? Fantastic! I knew we could get you guys to see sense!" the blue haired girl laughed herself, pulling Charlie into a hug out of happiness as much as relief to see him. Charlie grunted and squeaked in an effort to get away.

"Cheating on me already?" A cheerful looking Robin with a long cut across his forehead strolled up to them with a smirk. Christy released Charlie – who almost fell over – and threw herself at the lanky young man in clear relief. Jim was startled to hear her sniffling! Wow…she really had been worried.

Robin hugged the girl tightly, leading her away. Jim chuckled at them in amusement as much as envy. Where was Alex?

Finally he got tired of waiting and searching the crowd. It was only getting larger as more and more students finished whatever they'd been doing to come and celebrate. He left Sam, Graham and Charlie, climbing up onto the nearest thing he could find, a fallen statue of some long forgotten general or other.

The sight that greeted him was incredibly bittersweet. The celebration and dancing amid the destruction was like something out of a dream. It felt as wrong as it felt right. This shouldn't have happened in the first place, but it couldn't have gone much better either.

He searched the crowd for the hair of reddish brown hair he knew so well…he could find the girl without effort on the best of days, he didn't doubt he'd spot her now. Movement out of the corner of his eye made him look up across the crowd, where he spotted none other than Alex climbing up a pile of rubble, apparently doing the same thing he was and trying to find him in the crowd.

Their eyes met and Jim felt like he'd been hit by lighting at the look of relief and love on her face he could see even from here. Simultaneously the pair leapt from their vantage points to the ground below, pushing their way right through the crowd to reach each other.

Nothing...absolutely nothing in the world compared to the wave of joy that crashed over Jim the moment the girl was in his arms. The people around them disappeared, leaving the two in the happy fog of their own world for a long moment. Jim noticed nothing but the scent of Alex's hair laced with scents of soot and engine fluid, the feel of her wonderfully solid form against his chest.

"I was so scared." He heard her whisper in his ear, the loud music not hiding the relief in her voice. "I was stuck in the Main Hall ship and I was so scared you'd get hurt and I wouldn't even know…"

"I'm fine." He assured her, pulling back to look her over, checking for injuries. She was filthy, but didn't seem to be hurt. "And cleaner than you." He teased.

She giggled, tears in her eyes as she shook her head at him in amusement. "You usually are." She reminded him with a grin. "But you're alright? You're sure?" Jim chuckled, noticing she was inspecting him for wounds as well.

"I'm sure. Just bumps and bruises, I promise."

"Good." The girl reached up and pulled him into a deep kiss, which Jim was happy to return. When she pulled back, Jim wasn't sure his fuzzy brain would be able to form a coherent thought.

"What about the others?" Alex was asking. Jim shook himself from his foggy state, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"They're all fine. Come on, they're waiting for you."

Alex smiled happily and looked up at him as they walked, weaving slowly through the dancing crowd of students. "I love you, Jim."

He bent to kiss her once more, smiling into it as she laced her fingers with his. "Love you too."

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Whaaaat? Another chapter with a happy ending? Clearly there's something wrong with my brain, lol. Also sorry this is so late in the day...it's been one hell of a day and I think I lost one of my closest friends for good. Ugh, talk about messy...oh well._

_So I know not a whole lot happend in this chapter, but I'd still love to know what you thought! I've also given up on NaNo (November is the busiest month of the fall semester, I have to focus on school) so i'll have more time for this story again, lol._

_Your conflicted Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

Alex was exhausted…and ready to strangle someone by the time she made it back to her dorm at the end of a particularly long day. Birch had mentioned a few extra classes if she was going to do this whole Secret Intelligence thing…but a few wasn't even close. She'd been taking classes on codes and various ways to pass messages without meaning to. There was a secret language of hand signals she had to memorize, sword fighting to learn, and a ton of papers to write as she studied the reports of previous missions. On top of them, she still had her regular classes for the Mechanics path, where she learned about engineering and building and all the stuff she already loved.

That wasn't to say she didn't enjoy learning all this new stuff. Frankly it was fascinating, and she loved the mystery of everything she was learning. But all at once? It was rather draining…

She unlocked the door to her room and pushed open the door with a groan, dropping her bag and flopping face first onto her bed. She was soooo tired. After spending five hours with Mr. Birch's fencing practice, she felt beaten and bruised in places she didn't think were possible. She was good at everything she was being taught it seemed. Everything except fencing. The way of the sword was simply not for her…

She sighed and closed her eyes, knowing she should get up. She and Jim had a date tonight, taking a taxi to a nearby spaceport for dinner and a play. She needed to get ready still…and attempt to finish some more homework before she left. The bed was just so comfortable though…

And so when Jim arrived half an hour later (using a master key he'd swiped from the front desk weeks ago), he found Alex fast asleep on her bed. The girl hadn't even pulled off her boots! He couldn't help but chuckle in amusement, even as he felt a bit worried. She'd been so tired lately…

He sat on the edge of the bed, brushing a stray hair from her face and resting a hand on her shoulder. "Alex?"

The girl jumped awake so comically he had to laugh, letting her roll over and rub her eyes. "Jim? What are- oh…right. Duh. Sorry, I still have to change."

She climbed to her feet and Jim grabbed her wrist, making her turn and look at him. He knew the confusion probably showed in his eyes as he looked up at her pleadingly.

"Alex…what's going on?"

The girl sighed, shaking her head. "I _told_ Birch it was stupid to not let me tell you." She grumbled to herself. Jim nodded, knowing the story. Or at least that much of it. Alex had told him the day after the attack that she'd be working on something new, a project of sorts. And that she'd been sworn to secrecy and begged him not to ask. Jim had respected her wishes until now. Now, he was too worried about her to stay in the dark any longer.

Alex sat beside him on the edge of the bed, leaning down to unzip her boots and tug them off. "Basically…it all started at the battle…"

Jim sat in stunned silence as his girlfriend told him how the campus battle had really ended, amazed that the truth was so much more interesting than the story they'd been told by the teachers. And to think, _his_ Alex had gone and ended it! When she was done he pulled her into a proud hug, knowing that only a few years ago, she would have been too meek to even consider going about things on her own. She'd grown so much more confident in herself, he loved it.

"A spy? Really? That…is so cool!" he said with a grin when she finished. "They actually have a program for that?"

Alex giggled, evidently relieved he wasn't angry about her keeping the whole truth from him for so long. "A secret one, yeah. And it's so amazing Jim, I'm learning so many fascinating things! Except fencing. Fencing should grow an eye so I can stab it with a foil." She grumbled. "Or maybe I'll go straight to Mr. Birch."

Jim laughed, shaking his head. "Are you kidding? Swords are _fun_, you just need a decent teacher."

Alex sent him a look. "Oh? And you think that you can do better?"

He sent a smug smile in her direction. "Yup. I can offer better rewards than Mr. Birch, that's for sure."

Alex giggled to herself. "I suppose that's true. Still, do you know fencing? I know they teach you guys something else…"

"Yeah, but it's close enough. It'd give you a better foundation. Besides, my way is more fun. Fencing has too many rules."

"You just like it because it reminds you of Silver." Alex teased, sobering a bit when his face fell. "Oh…Jim I'm sorry. I didn't-" She sighed a bit, taking his hand in both of hers. "Still no word?"

"Nothing." Jim had been searching for his old mentor for over a year now, scowering the galaxy for news of the cyborg pirate. "It's like he just stopped existing."

"He's in hiding, you can't expect him to make it easy for you." Alex reminded him, her voice gentle. Jim nodded, knowing she was right…but he still felt like he'd been left behind. He'd secretly been hoping that Silver would have left some sort of clue for him follow. Some way to be found so that they could get in contact once more. But there was nothing.

Alex stood, leaning down to kiss his cheek before she turned to get changed. She was determined to improve the boy's mood with tonight's outing, she'd make it impossible for him to be sad! She also found herself hiding a smile. With this whole new spy thing…maybe she'd be able to catch wind of the old pirate's location. She knew Jim wanted to find him, but if things went well with her training and networking, she'd likely be able to at least get a hint of a place to start looking.

She tugged off her jacket and tossed it on her desk chair, turning to the trunk and lifting the lid, digging out a simple blue dress. To her surprise, Jim took the article from her hand, setting it aside and grabbing her hands.

"Alex, what are you doing?"

"Changing…?" the girl said, raising an eyebrow. "Don't we have plans for the night?'

A wry smile appeared as he looked up at her. "Alex, you're going to fall asleep on your dinner if we go out tonight." he said bluntly.

"Will not."

"Will too. Besides, staying in is cheaper."

"But less eventful."

Jim gave her no warning before snaking his arms around her waist, pulling her down onto the bed and tickling her mercilessly. Alex shrieked in surprise and then laughter, wiggling in an effort to escape and then finally grabbing his hands to get him to stop.

"No fair!" she said through her giggles, only able to stop when his lips found hers. She sighed happily when he pulled back, smiling up at him. "Alright…I suppose I can't counter such a convincing argument." She admitted.

Jim smirked. "I know you can't." he teased, leaning in for another kiss. For the first time all day, Alex was happy to let her brain stop working for a while.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Come on Alex, feet straight." Jim said to her, only a moment before swinging his tree branch of a sword down right at her head. Alex hurried to lift her own stick into a block, but her feet shifted in the process.

"Would you stop that?" she complained lightly, knowing that unlike Mr. Birch, Jim would have stopped the swing before it hit her. "I'm really trying."

"Stop stop, both of you." Graham stood from where he'd been lounging at a picnic table with the rest of the group. "Jim, you're not helping."

"Sure I am!"

"No you're not." The Prince said, grave voice laced with amusement. "Two different styles can't be put together until one is proficient in both. Alex is taking fencing, not whatever random style you seem to have invented."

Alex giggled at the look on Jim's face: a cross between offence and laughter. Graham was right, though he had no idea why she was taking fencing. As far as their group knew, she was simply taking it for fun. Though she clearly didn't enjoy it.

Jim lunged at Graham in a mock attack, which the taller young man took with ease, the two grappling for control. Alex laughed and dragged her stick over to the picnic table, reaching over to steal Sam's enormous glass of lemonade and take a sip. He glared at her and she ignored it, instead leaning her back against his where he sat to continue watching the boys wrestle.

Finally Graham won, pinning Jim's cheek to the ground. Jim grunted at him, flailing wildly in an effort to get free, setting Alex off into giggles again. She walked back over, poking Graham with her stick.

"Do you think you could not squish my boyfriend?" she asked, as calmly as if she was asking him to pass a plate of cookies. "I do need him, you know."

"He can be your boyfriend if he's flat." The prince said with a smirk.

"True, but his mother might complain." She said jovially as he got up. Jim hopped to his feet, wiping reddish grass from his jacket.

"It'd be really easy to sneak into locked rooms though. I could slide right under doors."

Alex smacked him lightly without even turning to look and Graham chuckled, swiping the stick from Jim's hand.

"Alright Lex, try this. I'll show you how to keep your grip where it needs to be…"

Alex and Graham started to work once more on her grip and her stance, which Alex only found awkward. She always felt like she was about to fall over. And when Jim snuck over and poked her side, she did fall over.

"Just practice standing like that all the time." The Prince suggested as Jim helped Alex to her feet once more, kissing her forehead in an amused apology. "When you're in line for food and stuff like that. You have to train yourself to be natural."

"Not all of us have my raw natural talent." Jim said with a smug grin, an arm around Alex's shoulders pulling her close like a trophy he'd won for just being awesome.

"And some of us don't have to deflate our heads every night so we can go through doorways." Alex teased, smirking up at him.

"Oy, supper's here!" Sam's deep voice interrupted the banter, and all three of them hurried over to the picnic table where Robin and Christy had shown up with a large basket of food. "About time, what took you two so long?"

Christy grinned and Robin blushed deep blue, and the rest of them giggled. "Now Christy, you can distract Robin all you like when we're not waiting for food." Alex teased with a grin. Christy returned it.

"There are just so many handy little nooks and crannies on the way to the dining hall, I had to take advantage!"

"And we're going to change the subject now!" Robin interrupted, still blushing even as he chuckled. "Who wanted the Purp juice?"

"Not me." Alex and Jim chimed. The others laughed; their dislike for the fruit never ceased to be amusing it seemed.

"What's the matter, too many purps on that fancy adventure of yours?" Christy teased, waving the juice under Alex's nose. The mechanic glared at her, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"If you don't want your hair stained purple, I suggest you stop that." She threatened with a smirk. The statement was received with a laugh, just as she'd intended. Christy knew so many martial arts Alex wouldn't have stood a chance, and everyone knew it.

The group settled in for a noisy dinner, everyone clamoring to be heard over the others. Except Alex. She sat at the end of the bench just listening and sipping her own lemonade.

"Lex?" Graham, sitting across from her, leaned forward. "You alright?"

"Fine." Alex said with a smile. "Just…absorbing. I love days like this. It's going to suck after we graduate and go our separate ways."

Christy and Robin heard, both going quiet as well. There were only months left before they all received their diplomas and found out what they were doing the rest of their lives.

"I've actually been meaning to talk about that." Graham said with a smug look, folding his napkin and looking across the table, meeting everyone's eyes for a moment. "We're all looking to go into the Interstellar Navy, yes?"

"Well sure." Alex said with a shrug. They all knew it. It was a bonus of attending the academy in the first place, they were guaranteed a job if they went into the navy afterwards.

"Well…I was recently told that they're looking for new crews for a line of ships someone recently designed. Smaller crews, with the basic members only. And…I figured we should sign up."

Everyone stared at the boy before Charlie spoke up. "You mean…we could all stay together?"

"We could."

The table exploded into cheers as one. It looked like their little group didn't have to split up after all.

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_I know I know...this is such a lame chapter__, nothing happened! That'll change soon enough. If I can get my butt in gear and start writing again. This is literally everything I have written up to this point, I haven't even started the next chapter ._

_Well, I have an hour and a half left in the world's more boring class, let's see how much I can get written :P_

_Please review and let me know what you thought, or just to send my inspiration if you hated it, lol._

_Your Bored Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

"This test will determine whether or not you succeed in graduating into this specialty program. If you die you fail, and if you fail, it'll mean you likely died. I'd advise against it." The very tall woman, who appeared to be carved from living stone, was an intimidating specimen of her species, though Alex found her gruffness strangely comforting. She was so much like Mr. Arrow, right down to the red officer's jacket, that it was like seeing an old friend rather than a Naval officer determined to fail them out of the program.

"You have two weeks. And this is not a scenario; this is an actual job that needs doing. The dangers will be very real, and the lives you're risking aren't just your own. There's a downed Navy ship not too far from us, and we're barely getting a very weak distress signal. A few very important people are on that ship, and we'd like you to rescue them. A ship will be provided, a ship that is in great need of repair. I'd like to provide better, but it's the best we have. If your mechanic does her job, you won't have a problem."

Alex gulped slightly as the woman glared down at her, but didn't look away. She'd heard all this already, as well as receiving her extra side mission. Being a spy was turning out to be more eventful than she'd expected. While her friends had been training and practicing for this final exam, Alex had been sent on mission after mission, making connections with people all over the galaxy as the school traveled around it. Networking, Mr. Birch had called it. And it would come in handy the more she worked, she knew. The more friends she had – both in high and low places – the quicker she could get any information she would need.

As a result of everything she'd been doing lately, even this stone sergeant didn't scare her, and she wasn't about to show her weakness or nervousness to anyone, let alone the woman who would decide if her group passed or failed this exam.

"You have all been given folders with your individual assignments and tasks. Be sure to complete them all on your trip, and you'll have a better chance of passing. In the mean time, welcome to your temporary positions as Naval officers. Dismissed."

The group stood in place as the woman left, and Charlie was the first to break form with a sign of relief. "I was half expecting her to bit your head off, Lex!" he said with a grin, having adopted Graham's nickname for her.

"Nah, I'm too chewy." Alex said with a nonchalant grin. "Come on guys, let's get moving! Jim, you got the ship local?"

"Yeah, specs look pretty good." Jim muttered, looking at the list he'd been given. "I'm surprised, she'll maneuver well for a ship of this size."

Sam snorted. "Anything would maneuver well with you driving it, you're crazy."

"Don't mock me."

"But you make it so easy." Alex teased him, linking her arm with his as she sent him a smile. "You're lucky, from what I can tell, I'm going to have a lot of work to do on this thing. Whoever designed this thing doesn't look like they even consulted a mechanic who knew anything about efficient wiring." She grumbled, remembering the mess of plans she'd been given in her own assignment folder.

"You'll fix it." Christy said confidently. "After all, you're the- Wow…"

The whole group stopped short, staring at the ship in front of them. The two masted Baltimore Clipper they'd been assigned to wasn't exactly brand new…but to the group it may as well have been made of pure gold it was so lovely. It could use a decent cleaning, as it looked as if it had been sitting here in the warehouse for at least a year…but none of them cared. She was theirs.

"Lady Artemis…" Christy said, reading the name painted on the side of the ship. "You know, I like it."

"Me too." Alex agreed with a grin. Jim was rolling his eyes and heading for the rope ladder which would lead them up onto the ship. He wanted to explore the ship itself, not gawp at it! The others took the hint and followed, inspecting their new home and determining what needed to be done. It was mostly up to Alex and Charlie, who derived a plan which would let them go ahead and get moving while they worked to improve things. It would be timing mostly…turning off certain things when they didn't need them in order to fix them, but they could do it without too much trouble. They'd worked together so often they hardly even needed to make a solid plan, they'd simply work off of each other as usual. Meanwhile, Christy and Jim worked together to plot a course, and Sam and Robin were set to work on cleaning as they had little else to do at the moment. Graham oversaw everything, making they all stayed on task.

Only an hour later, they were ready to fly. It must have been record time, but then, Alex was very good and she knew it. Many mechanics more experienced that her wouldn't have even let them leave for at least a day, getting as much work done on land as possible. It was silly, when Alex knew she could do the same thing while flying and save them a lot of time by working en-route.

Despite their various skills, learning to work together was a little more difficult than usual. They were all used to working on their own after years of individual training at the Academy. Now, working together some of them had a balance while others…didn't. They were lucky to have Graham, who had been training to be an officer from the start and seemed to know exactly what to expect. He was interrupting before Alex and Christy grew frustrated with each other, offering a compromise they could both work with. He kept Sam busy with lots of different jobs which kept him from using the barnacles on the bottom of the ship as target practice out of boredom. Even Robin, who had nothing to do as a doctor, found himself happily occupied cleaning the galley and cooking. He'd kept his love for the activity secret, but somehow, Graham had known.

After days of working, they were all impressed with the prince's skills. He'd be a fantastic captain if they made it through all this alive. In fact, they were all rather impressed by each other. They'd learned more of each other's talents than they'd ever really had a chance to before, it was a nice surprise. It was even better to learn that they all did work so well together, it meant they'd be more likely to be assigned to the same crew when this was all over.

Now, they all gathered on the deck at the rear of the ship, Jim at the wheel and the rest of them watching the various control panels around them as they moved in.

"Welcome to Virtusi." Graham said grimly, looking at the shadowy planet beneath them. "The planet without a sun."

Alex thought it was a depressing looking place, very dark and cold. It wasn't true that it had n sun, it's orbit was just so large that it barely got anything from the sun t traveled around. The planet had a unique feature though, the ability to collect warm solar winds into its atmosphere, which meant it didn't turn into an ice planet the way most would. Entire plant species had evolved to withstand the dark and lower temperatures.

And it was here the Navy ship had crashed.

"Circle the planet." Graham told Jim, who nodded. "Charlie, keep an eye on the scanner, we need to try and pinpoint the location of the signal.

"But, Grey-" Charlie cut himself off in worry. The signal had died the day before.

"I know…see if you can track it from what you were getting until it cut off. Everyone else, see if you can spot anything. They may have created a signal of some sort."

It was Charlie who spotted something first, the aid of his handheld computer managing to catch what was left of the faint signal. He shouted in triumph and they followed the faint blip right to the crash site, and no one could hold back a wince as it came into view.

The enormous galley was half reduced to cinders from various things, including laser fire. Someone had shot the thing down, which was not a good sign. The war galley boasted so many guns they should have been able to take down anything! Instead it was a smoking pile of rubbish.

They landed not far away and climbed down from their own deck, moving to the fallen ship on foot.

"Hello?" Graham called, checking for survivors. The reply was laser fire and Sam grabbed the prince and pulled him behind a black barked tree for cover as the others ducked from view as well. "Wait! We're friends, we're here to help!"

"Prove it!" a voice called back, and Alex rolled her eyes. It was Christy who replied.

"You're ship number 34-7B, on route from a mission in the neighboring system Freesa. We're sent from the navy ourselves, and our mission was to find you. We're sending you our information now." The blue haired girl shouted from behind a bush. She nodded to Charlie who's fingers flew across the keypad in his hand, sending their own data to the ship before them.

"Alright, come out with your hands up." The voice called a minute later. Alex and the others came out of hiding, their hands in view so the owner of their voice didn't turn as trigger happy as they sounded. "Graham?"

The boy squinted up onto the distant deck and blanched. "Missy?"

"Oh my gosh!" instantly the young woman was all smiles, leaping from the deck and hopping from one platform to another, dashing across the grey grasses and leaping into the Prince's arms. "Hiya!"

"Hiya? We find you on a crashed naval galley and you say hiya?" Christy asked in disbelief. Graham chuckled, setting the girl down with a grin.

"That's Missy for you. What are you doing here, when did you join the navy?"

"I signed up years ago. Skipped the fancy academy though, just signed up in town." The girl said with a shrug. "What are you doing here?"

"This is our final exam." The boy told her. "We're here to rescue whoever…is left."

"Ah. Well…there are only about a third of us." Missy said, sobering so much she seemed like dimmer version of herself. "After the attack we crashed here."

"Who attacked you?" Alex asked her.

"We don't know. There was nothing on our scanners, and we never saw whoever was shooting at us. It's like they were invisible."

Alex frowned. "No cloaking device is that good, they have to be lifted in order to fire anything."

"That's what we thought."

Robin interrupted, asking to see any wounded, and Missy led him on board. Everyone else split up to help wherever they could as well, though most of the work would be with Robin. The ship was impossible to salvage, all they could do was try and help the crew.

Alex was the only one who didn't follow them, her own special mission in mind as she climbed up onto the deck of the fallen ship. It was disorienting to be on the tilted deck, but she forced herself to focus.

The ship's mission to Freesa hadn't been routine, though that's what everyone else had been told. They'd been investigating a strange signal they'd intercepted, trying to see if it had anything to do with the mysterious attack on the Academy. The signal they'd intercepted had never been passed on to the naval headquarters though, and now it had to be here somewhere. Alex's job was to find and decode it, finding out just what Freesa was up to.

She ducked down the stairs and searched the hold for the captains quarters, finding them to be itch black when she opened the door to the state room. She closed it and pulled out a small glowing ball from her pocket, gasping at the stench that suddenly invaded her nose. The source of it was soon revealed to be the bloated body of the captain, still in his bed.

Alex ducked back out into the hall, fighting back nausea for a long moment. Come on Alex…you have to do this… She covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve and entered the room again, trying not to breath too much…

She avoided the bed, instead heading for the desk on the opposite side of the room. The ship had no power left, explaining why it was dark, but also hindering her search. She had to get into the man's personal log…

She pulled a handy little device from her other pocket, inserting it into a slot on the front of the screen built into the desk, grinning when it gave the machine enough power to start up. She did so, grimacing at the slow loading time, and finally managed to hack her way into the thing using a trick Charlie had taught her. The fingers of her right hand pecked their way across the keyboard as she worked, refusing to pull her left hand away from her mouth and nose.

Ah ha! There it was…she pulled out a notebook from her bag and copied down the intercepted transmission into it, coughing when the stench started affecting her more and more. Finally, as soon as she was done, she grabbed her device from the computer and dashed from the room and right off the ship. She was still throwing up in the bushes fifteen minutes later when Jim found her.

"Alex?"

"Hiya." Alex muttered with a faint grin, coughing and rubbing her nose. The scent of the horrible room seemed to be trapped in her nose. Even thinking about it made her retch again, though she had nothing left in her stomach to come up. Jim sat beside her and rubbed her back.

"You went to the stateroom, didn't you." He was almost scolding her, but she nodded.

"Had to. I had to get the message they intercepted."

"Did you get it?"

"Yup." She handed Jim the notebook and he looked at the symbols she'd scribbled, frowning.

"What does it say?"

"That's what I have to figure out."

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Woot, done! Sorry about the delay guys, I sort of...didn't write the chapter until today. Not back for 2.5 hours of work, eh? :P_

_And the bigger plot is being revealed! What do you guys think so far! I'm also willing to accept a little help...these guys are going to need other missions to go on, just basic stuff a new crew might be forced to do. A lot of grunt work lately, but if any of you have an idea for a mission they might have to do, I'd love some ideas! I probably won't write them all out, but it makes for great background details to describe the other stuff they do XD_

_Your Authoress in pain,_

_Whisperwings_


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Deciding she'd had enough of dead bodies and injuries for one day, Alex skipped out on helping the others with the injured crew. She felt horrible for avoiding the dirty work like that, but she wouldn't do much good when she was still being forced to run outside whenever she felt the slightest bit nauseas.

Instead she threw herself into the puzzle of decoding the transmission the downed ship had intercepted. The hardest part was figuring out what the key was, and once she did the rest would fall into place easy as pie. But the key to this code eluded her like nothing she'd ever come across before. It frustrated her to no end, because in all her training for the spy stuff, codes had been what she was best at.

It was long after everyone else had gone to bed for the night when she finally cracked it, and she fell asleep over her books not long after she'd finished rewriting the message in its proper format.

Jim found her there the next morning, closing her books and things for her, before the others realized what she was doing. She was still supposed to be keeping this whole spy thing a secret after all. He was shutting her notebooks when he noticed the final page right under her hand…the page with the translated message. And what he read shocked him to no end.

"I had to run it through a rare code developed years ago." Ales muttered, waking slightly as Jim pulled the page from under her hand. "Doesn't look good, does it?"

"They're talking about all out war." Jim whispered in horror, his eyes skimming the message. A lot of it was useless information as far as he was concerned, but even he knew that much.

"Not with us, not really." Alex corrected him as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. "It's a civil war…but they want allies. The attack on the academy was to discourage the other side from coming to us for help." She theorized. "From the sounds of this message, they're planning on trying anyway."

Jim nodded, a certain underlined sentence pulling his eyes down the page. "'Bring me spies'." He read aloud. "Wait…like you?"

Alex chuckled softly. "Yeah, Jim, like me. Not that they would know it was me. We all have code names and whatnot. They list the main ones that everyone had heard of mostly. I'm not on there."

"You have a code name?" Jim sat on the desk, grinning at her. "What is it?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you." Alex replied with a smirk, though there was truth in her eyes. "If you figure it out on your own though, I'd let it slide."

Jim's grin grew more confident. "A challenge you say? You're on, Valentine."

"Watch yourself, Hawkins." Alex warned as she stood from her seat, leaning over to kiss him gently. "You'll hurt yourself if you strain too hard."

He pulled back with an exaggerated gasp and she giggled, prompting him to kiss her again. "You worried about me?"

"Always. You do have a tendency to get yourself in trouble." Alex pointed out softly.

"I resent that!"

"Represent maybe." Alex taunted, grabbing her books and things from his arms and turning to head back to her room to put them away in the small locked chest she'd brought. Jim followed her, his steps a confident swagger as he watched her put her things away.

"Feeling better?"

"Yes, finally." Alex said with feeling. "Did the others mind…?"

"Nah. Not everyone is cut out for hospital work." Jim reminded her with a grin. He himself had had a difficult time with it all…and had scrubbed himself pink by the time everyone had been patched up and moved to the infirmary on the Artemis. He could still smell the sickness, though he knew it was in his head. He couldn't blame Alex for being sick in the least.

"I don't know how Robin does it." Alex admitted.

"Robin does it with lots of practice and closing his nose." The blue alien's voice called through the door, showing how he could shut his nostrils. "Works wonders."

"Lucky." Alex said with feeling. "Wait…what are you two doing up?"

"It's morning." Robin pointed out as he left again, heading off to the infirmary to check on people before he started breakfast. Alex made a face at the idea of doing both within minutes of each other, but then Robin was used to that sort of thing having trained to be a doctor for years.

"Oh…so much for a good night's sleep."

"Sleep is for the weak."

"Guess I'm a weakling then." Alex said with a dramatic sigh. "Oh well, at least I get sleep."

Jim chuckled as she closed the trunk and locked it, pulling her back against him and kissing her bare shoulder. "Weak you might be, but I love you anyway."

Alex made a face and chuckled. "Thanks a bunch. What's the plan today?" The change in subject may have shocked other people, but not Jim. The two had known each other far too long to be fazed by the jump in conversation. Their romance was so connected to their lives that transitioning between the two didn't take any effort anymore.

"Leaving, hopefully." Jim told her, arms settling around her waist. "One last check around the ship for useful things, and then we hope to be gone before lunch."

"Oh! Good, I want to check the engine room. There may be some parts that are still useful." Alex said with a grin, leaning against him in her happiness. He chuckled and shook his head at her.

"You are the only one I know who gets that excited about spare parts."

"You know you like it." Alex pointed out with a smirk, turning in his arms to face him. He agreed with another kiss, which Alex was the first to pull away from. "Oh no, don't start, we have work to do!"

"Do we have to?" Jim whined softly, making Alex giggle and kiss his nose.

"Afraid so, Jimbo." She teased, pulling free of him and skipping from the room. She didn't mind exploring the downed ship, not as long as she could avoid the stateroom. And of course the engine was in the bowels of the ship, and she wouldn't have to worry about any nasty smells aside from engine fluid, which she actually liked.

The morning flew by, spent doing a final checkup of the downed ship. Alex recovered a whole bunch of parts she got ridiculously excited about. Christy was just as bouncy about a set of maps she'd found, and Robin was happy for the extra food they'd rescued from the storage areas. With half their little crew being hyper over such silly things, the others were as well. Their happiness even seemed to spread to those they'd rescued, and many of them joined together in an old sailor's song as they lifted free of the colorless planet.

The trip home went much faster than their journey to find the crashed ship, seeing as they were all kept busy. Alex spoke with Missy and her crew members more, getting exact details of the attack from the invisible enemy. Together they were able to piece together what had happened. Between Alex's skills in predicting enemy moves and knowledge of mechanics and Missy's leadership qualities and gift with remember details, they soon had the event puzzled out in pretty accurate detail. What they found worried Alex a lot…the tactics the enemies had used weren't like that of any local crew, not even pirates. There were strategies in play here that had been developed by the Navy in Freesa, strategies which were normally useless but highly advantageous with invisible ships.

They arrived back at the Academy to what felt like a hero's welcome! Well…actually it was more like a hospital welcome, as many of the people who'd come to meet them were doctors to help with the rescued crew members. Alex and the others helped to assemble stretchers and carry them all out of the ship infirmary and to the docks, where doctors loaded them on an enormous ship which basically served as a flying hospital.

Missy was going with them, determined to keep an eye on her crew even if they didn't need her services any longer. She gave them all a hug before she left. Except Graham…who got pulled into a lingering kiss which made the rest of the group cheer before she dashed away.

"Finally!" Alex giggled happily, clapping ink stained hands together.

"Finally what?" the prince demanded with a glare that couldn't quite hide his blush.

"Finally I get to take revenge on all the teasing you've done to Jim and I over the years." The brunette said with a sly grin. "I've been waiting for you to find a lady friend just so I can get you back!"

Graham blanched a bit, knowing he was in trouble. Alex may not be overly mean spirited in her teasing, but Jim was. And he'd teased them both a _lot_ for the silliest things. Between the two of them, he'd never hear the end of it.

Christy was grinning, linking an arm with Robin. "Good thing he never thought to do that to us, eh Rob?" she said with a sarcastic grin. "I'd have a hard time taking revenge on such a sweet young man."

Graham winced, remembering a good many jokes he'd done on the newer couple as well. "Is it too late to apologize?" he asked weakly.

"Far too late." Alex said with a grin, chuckling softly at the mischievous look on Jim's face.

"Excellent work, you lot!" The booming voice put their teasing to a stop and the group quickly lined up on the docks. "I admit, I didn't expect you back for another few days." The stone woman grinned at them, looking as smug as if she'd supported them the whole time rather than assume they'd fail. "I see you all work together quite nicely!"

"Thank you ma'am." Graham said with a nod, speaking for the group as their captain.

"Oh stuff and nonsense, no need to be all proper right now. I'm off duty and you're all probably tired." Alex grinned a bit as the stone woman instantly became even more awesome than she'd first thought. "Just call me Miss. Lorna I suppose, the General bit is such a pain."

Now the whole group blanched. General? This was General Lorna? The woman known throughout the galaxy as one of the best officers to have gone through the Academy and who had risen through the ranks faster than anyone before her? She was a role model for all the students!

She simply laughed. "Oh I do enjoy doing that. The look on your faces is priceless." She shook her head and cleared her throat. "You shouldn't be surprised though. Though your school does have a headmaster, I'm the one in charge. And this entire program was my idea, I remember how well my team and I worked together when I was your age, and it wasn't that long ago."

She stood a bit straighter, hands behind her back. "You have all preformed your duties, and you mission is complete. While you still have to report to your individual officers, I am happy to tell you that as a group, you passed this final exam."

Jim grinned and Alex elbowed him gently. No matter what Lorna had said, she didn't think it was very respectful to simply abandon all their training.

"And, as an added bonus, you'll be assigned to the Artemis. Or, more appropriately, the Artemis will be assigned to you."

This time it was Alex who grinned the widest of the group and Jim was happy to return the favor of an elbow to her ribs. Lorna chuckled and nodded.

"And now, I will leave so you can all celebrate in peace. Don't forget to report to your senior officers, but I fully expect you all to be celebrating at the campus brewery later tonight." the woman winked and took off, and Alex released the whoop of excitement she'd been hiding.

"She's ours!"

Sam chuckled and shook his head. "Not the important part of that speech, Alex." He teased.

"Sure it was! A good ship means everything to a group just starting out. Having a great one is wonderful!"

"Agreed." Charlie said with feeling. "I put a lot of work into the new programming!"

Alex grinned and pulled him into a one armed hug. "It seems we're alone on this one, Charlie. Best suck it up and start preparing. Because Sam is going to try and drink us all under the table tonight."

"And I'll win, too." The larger boy said with a flash of a grin. Christy shot him a smirk.

"Challenge accepted."

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Gah! Sorry sorry sorry! It's still Friday though, at least it is where I am, so i'm not all that late! It's been a crazy couple of days and I'm all screwed up, sorry I'm so late ._

_And we are slowly getting bits of the bigger picture, woohoo! I swear it'll get better..._

_Your Forgetful Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Alex shifted nervously from one foot to the other, tugging on her fancy robes and straightening the silly hat. Once that was done she was certain she must have smeared mascara across her cheek and she pulled out a mirror to check and make sure her hair hadn't gone limp in the last thirty seconds.

"Relax." Hands on her shoulders forced Alex to stand still, and Robin's soothing voice calmed her nerves a little.

"I don't want to relax." She complained even as her muscled did just that. "This is too huge, I'd rather be on edge."

"No you wouldn't. Otherwise your pictures will all look strained. Now breathe for me...that's it." Alex let his gently massaging fingers work away the strain and sighed. He was right…it was their graduation, not a death sentence. The rest of their group had gone by now, and they were finally reaching the W's. This was the first time Alex had ever hated her last name, knowing it means she was one of the last to go up on stage. By now the audience was getting bored and restless, and she couldn't blame them. Even though the ceremony was relatively quick, their graduating class had been enormous.

"Robin Windrush!" Robin smiled at Alex and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"See you on the other side." He said with a grin before turning to leave. Alex glared after him, feeling abandoned… How was he so calm? He had to stand on stage in front of thousands of people who'd come to see their favorite student walk across the stage, be handed a piece of paper, and shake hands with the school's stuffy headmaster and General Lorna. What had seemed such a simple ceremony the day before now felt like the worst kind of puzzle, and Alex was certain she'd mess up.

Three more names came up before her own, and when the voice called "Alexandra Valentine" she nearly jumped out of her skin. She quickly turned and headed to the stairs instead, making her way to the top. A sea of faces met her eyes and she paled softly, but kept moving, using all her self control to keep her pace steady and to not dash right from one person to the next.

And before she knew it, it was over. Jim was waiting for her at the foot of the stairs on the opposite side of the stage, swinging her into a hug before she'd reached the ground. No one showed their pride as much as Jim did with a kiss and a hug, and Alex was glad of it, slipping her arms around his waist to hug him.

"I'm so glad it's over." Alex admitted in a soft voice, releasing her tension with a long exhale.

"The ceremony or school?" Jim asked with a grin. Alex chuckled and shrugged.

"Both." She said with feeling. "Where's Sarah?"

"Trapped in the audience." Jim said as the last student finished their walk and the ceremony was ended. "I'll go find her…stay right here." He kissed her softly before slipping off into the crowd, and Alex grinned after him as she leaned against a nearby pillar, content to wait and let Jim wade through the crowds of parents trying to find their students.

A hand on her arm made her jump, and the hiss that accompanied it made her shiver with fright."Don't turn around, Keeper. How you ever thought you'd be a good spy with a codename like that…"

Alex frowned, he knew that voice… she wrenched her arm free, turning despite the orders not to. "Dad? No…no way, how did you find me?"

Farrin Valentine rolled his eyes. "I missed you, sweetie!"

Alex stepped back when he moved to hug her, glaring at him. "Maybe you missed the money I brought in. But you seem to be well off enough." She looked him over with a frown. His hair was the exact shade as her own, brown with a hint of red. It was a mess, just as she'd always remembered it being. His eyes were brown as well, and still held a glint of something that made her nervous. He saw too much…always one with an eye for details. What bothered her were his clothes. He'd never taken much care of his clothing before, but what he wore now looked like something she might see on an officer. Like one of the officers in the audience.

"Why are you really here?" she demanded, arms crossed with a combination of anger and fear which she was desperate to hide. She wasn't in the man's life anymore, she shouldn't have to be afraid of him.

"Your mother would never let you get away with back-talking like that." The man growled. "I should slap you myself."

"You wouldn't dare." Alex whispered, her eyes narrowed. He wouldn't either…not here when they were surrounded by people.

"Maybe not…but there's other ways." Farrin said with a grin. "Keeper."

The name finally registered in Alex's mind and she barely kept herself from gasping in surprise. How could he possibly know her code name? Unless…

"Ah, there you go. Finally figured it out? I'm amazed they let you into the spy game slow as you are."

"Shut up."

"If you can't take a little heat, don't taunt the flames."

Alex rolled her eyes. "That's the stupidest metaphor I've ever heard."

"It doesn't matter, it works. The thing is…you're in the big leagues now. And far out of yours. Your mother and I are very interested in helping the Unification Army of Freesa to keep control. They do pay particularly well."

Alex stared. He was a spy. A spy for the very people who had attacked the Academy. The same people who had downed Missy's naval ship a few weeks back. Her parents – awful beings that they were – were on the very side she was against.

"What do you want?"

"We want you. Enemy spies fetch a pretty penny…and you're making a name for yourself. A name our bosses would like wiped out."

"You won't kill me."

"Of course not…that wouldn't be any fun." The man smirked and backed away, blending with the crowd. And he was gone within seconds.

Alex meanwhile was left on her own, feeling as if her breath had been stolen away from a sudden wave of terror. Even after years away from them, the idea of her parents still made her tremble. She gasped for a breath deeper than the shallow ones she'd been taking and closed her eyes, sagging against the pillar behind her. Stars above, why them? Why now?

An enemy spy aware of her identity was bad enough. Farrin hadn't been lying, Alex _had_ been making a name for herself in recent months. Everywhere she traveled, either on her own or with her group of friends, she made contacts and had extended her network. She was known as Keeper, something she'd called herself in her childhood: The Secret Keeper. It had been a game to entertain herself when things got bad at home…

It was for that reason having her parents become spies in her absence was so bad. Only they would have known the origin of her chosen name. And only they would have been able to trace it to her. And it looked as if they had.

Putting the two together – spies and her parents – was nothing short of her worst nightmare. She'd have to tell Mr. Birch…soon. Though perhaps not today, she knew he would be busy. And she was as well. It was her graduation, and she was determined to enjoy it.

"Alex!" Jim called over the crowd, leading his mother along by the hand and taking Alex's in his other one when he reached her side. He saw the look in her eyes and she quickly grinned, not wanting him to worry.

"I was starting to think you'd never come back!" she teased. Jim chuckled and shook his head.

"You pretty much have to swim your way through this crowd. I ran into Sam and the others back there. We're all heading to the Benboe for a celebration."

"Excellent!" Alex said with a wide smile. "About time we hosted a decent party." She said, winking at Sarah who only rolled her eyes.

"Just leave me out of it." The woman begged. "I'll hide away upstairs. You're lucky the inn is closed for a deep cleaning this weekend."

"Why do you think we scheduled the cleaning now?" Jim pointed out with a smirk. Alex giggled at the look on Sarah's face.

"Is that why they came by and changed the date?"

Alex pursed her lips in amusement. "We…may have told them we'd be busy the weekend you set it up for at first…they seemed more than happy to reschedule."

"Oh you two!" the woman exclaimed, pulling them both into an impromptu hug. The three of them laughed, heading home to set up for what would be a part no one would ever forget.

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Alex swallowed the shot placed in front of her and clanked the glas son the table with a grin, only to feel the world spin. She blinked furiously and shook her head, but that only made it worse. Sam, her opponent, laughed.

"Done already?"

"It's no fair, I already beat Rob…" Alex grumbled, glaring at him. Sam grinned and put his hands on her shoulders, steering her to a chair.

"You best sit a while Duchess, elsewise you'll fall over."

"You'll fall over." Alex taunted right back, giggling merrily at the silliness of it all. It really was an awful comeback.

"Not for a long while. 'Scuse me, looks like Christy is in need of her own drinking partner." The boy left and Alex grinned, sitting in place. A glass of water hovering in front of her nose made her look up with a smile, seeing Jim there.

"I love you." She said as she took the glass, sipping at the liquid. Jim only chuckled, pulling up a chair beside hers.

"And you'll love me even more in the morning when you're not hung over."

"No…no I think I love you more right now."

"You sure about that?"

"Absolutly positively!"

Jim chuckled again and leaned over to kiss her nose, making her giggle in amusement. "I think you need to stop drinking for the night, love."

"What if I don't want to?"

"Do want to make yourself sick?"

"No…"

"Then you're cut off." The boy said, though he looked buzzed enough for the both of them. Alex snorted, but decided he was right. The world was swoopy and warm, and she knew better than to push her limits. She wasn't a fan of irresponsible drinking, she enjoyed being in control too much to drink until she lost her memory of a night.

"The same to you, Jimmy boy." She said fondly, kissing his forehead for a moment before she stood. "I'm gonna go outside and sober up."

"Probably smart!" Jim saluted her with his own bottle of whatever he was drinking and Alex rolled her eyes at him before she left the room. She made her way out to the large front porch to the gazebo she loved so much, letting the cool air clear her head.

Footsteps behind her made her blink in surprise. "Jim?" he wouldn't have followed her, he was too busy playing drinking games inside…

She turned only to be hit across the head with a very heavy object and blacked out before she'd even known she'd been hit.

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_I am soooooooooo sorry you guys! I missed a whole week and I'm awful and horrible, but oh my gosh school is just trying to kill me right now! I can't even post two chapters today to make up for it, I've been so busy I haven't even started the next one! Just one more week...finals week is over next friday and I'll have a ton of free time, I promise!_

_In the mean time, what did you think? Stuff is happening again, woohoo! Evil stuff...evil cliffhangers at least :D Review and tell me!_

_Your Guilty Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

Ice water on her face woke Alex with a sputtering gasp. She groaned and wiped water from her face, finally opening dull pale blue eyes. What the…?

The sight that met her eyes made her shiver. Through dripping strands of hair she saw that she was in a plain white room, with the two people she hated more than anyone in the Universe.

"Hello Mom, Dad." She grumbled defiantly. "Lovely place you have here."

"Oh shut up." Her mother snapped, her voice as sharp as a blade. "Honestly, why would anyone in their right mind make you a spy?"

"I happen to be good at my job." Alex said, pushing herself into a sitting position against the back wall. Her head was pounding… "What did you hit me with?"

"Doesn't matter. The point is, girlie, you're not a spy anymore. You're a prisoner. And your father and I will be greatly rewarded." Farrin chuckled and his wife, Mairtha, bore a sharp smile. Alex only rolled her eyes.

"Right, because capturing a rookie is going to look so wonderful on your resume." She taunted. "I'm the best you could get? Please."

Defiant blue eyes didn't blink at the looks the two gave her. They could do what they wanted to her, she wasn't scared of them anymore. She'd run away once, she could do it again. Especially now that she'd been trained. Jim had taught her to let go of the past, and she was doing just that, even if she was so beyond terrified at the moment that she was barely keeping her head on straight.

"So, being a prisoner, you do have to feed me, right? Because I'm starving." Alex said, slouching against the back wall as if bored.

Mairtha lifted a hand to hit her but Farrin grabbed her hand and pulled her from the room. Oh good…they weren't allowed to hurt her. Alex was many things, but she wasn't exactly keen on the idea of anyone hurting her for information. Not that she really had any to give…she really wasn't the best catch of the day for her parents.

She hoped they were laughed at when they reported capturing her.

The moment the door closed behind them, Alex was on her feet, ignoring her pounding head in favor of exploring her cell. It was a plain white room, so bright it hurt her eyes. A steel shelf on one wall much be her bed…she'd take the floor any day. And a camera sat in the corner over the door. So someone was keeping an eye on her…fantastic.

There had to be a way out…there had to be something she could do. Something she had…

She dug through her pockets, sitting in the corner under the camera where she'd be out of sight. Her belongings had been taken, not that she'd had a lot on her. She'd been at a party for crying out loud! She leaned down and checked her ankle, grinning at the small packet of tools there. It wasn't anything fancy, but Alex was used to having tools on her at all times. It came about from being a mechanic first. She chuckled softly to herself and pulled out a screwdriver and turned to the door. She couldn't get the lock off the door…it wouldn't do any good. But the hinges were on her side of the door!

Idiots…either they only had dumb prisoners here or they weren't used to them at all. She used her screwdriver to lift the pins from the hinges and pulled at the wood. It almost fell on top of her and she grunted at the heavy wood as she set it down. She then looked up at the camera, and with a jaunty salute, dashed out of the room and down the hall.

The alarm went off soon after but Alex only giggled to herself. It was times like these she understood just why Jim used to get into so much trouble. Breaking the rules was so much fun when you knew you could get away with it!

She dashed through the halls from the brig and almost froze before ducking behind a stack of crates. She needed a plan! She couldn't just run around and hope she found a way out, she'd get caught! No…no she needed to calm down and think things through. She shivered and bit and sank to the floor. Alright, to get off this ship, she'd need a ship of her own, or a lifeboat. Her eyes flicked around, puzzling out the type of ship she was on. Finally she determined it was large enough that the lifeboats would be on the middle lower deck rather than at the bottom of the ship.

But she couldn't just leave! No…this was too good a chance to pass up. She was on an enemy ship, she simply needed to rig some sort of tracking device…and to do that, she needed to find the engine. Engine first, then lifeboat and escape. And then she could go home and have nightmares about this awful day.

For a long moment she didn't move, near terror threatening to overwhelm her. She'd been warned and trained…but none of that could possible have prepared her for the fright of actually being captured. She had to get out of here…sooner rather than later. But she appeared to be stuck.

"Come on Alex…" she whispered to herself. "You can be scared later, you have to move." Finally she pictured the one person who never seemed to be afraid. Jim. He was worth getting out of here for, right? Of course right! She closed her eyes, licked her lips, and imagined how worried he had to be…how angry. He'd probably be taking it out on everyone else right about now…she needed to get back so that he wouldn't worry anymore.

Unconventional, but it worked. She shoved herself from her hiding place and slipped through the dark lower desk of the shop, following her ears and her fingers, both listening and feeling the vibration of the engines. More than once she was forced to hide from crew members running about. As big as a ship as this might be, it wasn't that big. She needed to be gone before they were organized enough to do a proper search.

The engine room was a welcome sight, comforting in its familiarity. No matter where she was, the gently thrumming of an engine could always calm her frayed nerves. But after a moment of letting the rumbling fill her skin, she moved again. There was no time to waste. She had a tracking device to rig and a lifeboat to find.

She ducked low, moving to a back corner of the engine room and finding a small box there. It was the thing that controlled the backup spin of the engine, keeping it from overheating. It also rarely needed to be looked at for anything…perfect.

It took some time – more than she would have liked – to gather the tools and parts she needed and even more to rig something together. In the end she had to link her device up to the computer mainframe. If this thing worked…it would read like a supernova to other ships. But this one wouldn't know a thing. At the heart of a supernova, readings all shorted out. This ship wouldn't have any idea that they were broadcasting to proper frequencies that they were in the middle of a supernova.

Finally deeming herself done, Alex moved back for the hallway of the ship, just ducking back into the engine room when someone walked by.

"-has to be here somewhere!"

"She's not on deck. I've got the stairwell guarded and we're going to search one deck at a time. Top to bottom. She can run, but she can't hide forever."

_That's what you think._ Alex thought to herself, peeking around the corner as the two walked off. She waited until they'd rounded a corner before sprinting down a different hallway. She simply had to find the lifeboats before she was forced to the lower decks…simple.

Hopefully.

Between hiding from the searching guards and trying to puzzle out this stupid ship, Alex's fear was growing. She kept shoving it aside, but there was only so much a girl could take. She had to get out of here…

'Calm down and search, Alex.' Jim's voice in her head forced her to breath. She knew that's exactly what he'd say. 'Besides if they do find you, I doubt any of them can fence either.'

Great. Even in her imagination he wasn't very helpful, though it had brought a small smile to flit across her lips.

Finally she peered through a doorway and almost whooped in triumph! In front of her, three open hatches I the side of the whip held lifeboats. Her key to freedom. Of course they were guarded by a brute of a sailor…she'd have to get rid of him somehow. Or…maybe not.

She waited until he turned to dash around to one of the lifeboats, a blade appearing from where she'd hidden it in her other sock. She slashed at the ropes holding the boat in place and using her foot, pushed the hovering boat away from the ship.

"Hey!"

Alex turned and waved as the sailor cursed at her, sitting down in the rear of the ship. "Sorry, I'll return it in even better shape!" she promised, her success making her cocky. Her smile faded when the sailor growled and pulled out four pistols, one for each arm. She squeaked and ducked low in the boat as lasers shot overhead.

"Nice going, Alex." She scolded herself. "Next time, wait until you're out of trouble to celebrate."

She carefully reached up a hand to start the engine, but she couldn't help it. She had to get out of hiding to get anywhere, she couldn't reach the throttle. She waited for a omentary break in laser fire and shot upright, grabbing the throttle and throwing it open, pulling the control stick towards her chest. Her hair flew about her face as she boat shot away from the ship, so she didn't see the laser until it had already slammed into her shoulder.

She gasped in pain, cooking flesh bubbling in her shoulder as she ducked low again. Only once she was out of range did she dare to move again though, peering over the edge of the boat. Good…they weren't following her. Yet.

She winced and looked at her shoulder, hissing through her teeth. Like today hadn't been bad enough…She carefully stripped off her over shirt, down to a tank top and leggings, pressing it to her shoulder. It wasn't really bleeding…that was one of the good things about laser fire. It cauterized the wound as it made it. Still, the pressure helped. A little. Her whole arm felt both numb and in extreme pain at the same time!

Focus...she had to focus. She shivered and winced as it only made her shoulder twinge, forcing herself to keep still and to shove aside the fear. The sailors would be after her before long, she had to lose them. She spotted a planet in the distance and sped towards it. She could land there, catch a different ship…and somehow find her way home.

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_This chapter is both embarrassingly short_ _and embarassingly late._ _I am sooo sorry! I just think interest seems to be waning all around. I'm bored of writing the story and you guys are clearly bored of reading it, lol. As such I'm going to end this story a little sooner than I'd originally planned...__but I think that's best. __It's been a good run, lol. I've been working on this darn story on and off for years now, I think it's time to let it go ^^;_

_Please review and tell me what you thought of this (short) chapter though!_

_Your Dull Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

"That's it." Jim shot to his feet and started pacing. "I can't just wait any more!"

Sam sighed, slouching on the Inn's couch. "You don't have a choice, now sit down." The two had repeated this conversation so many times it was getting ridiculous. Sam couldn't blame Jim for his worry though. Alex had been gone nearly six days now; the chances of anyone finding her grew more slim with each passing hour.

Jim knew it to, but he sank back into his seat, growling to himself. "Who would have taken her?"

Sam shook his head. "Search me. Mechanics aren't usually taken as prisoners of war. Especially when we're not in a war."

Jim didn't reply. He knew differently. He knew that Alex wasn't just a mechanic…and he knew that they were already involved in a war. He couldn't tell that to the taller youth though, he wouldn't betray Alex like that. The problem was…the people searching for the girl were looking for a mechanic, not a spy. A spy could have been taken to much more dangerous places. What if they were missing her entirely?

He shot to his feet and moved for the door. "Jim?"

He turned, smiling softly as Sarah came down the stairs, a basket of laundry in her arms. "Mom, you know you have people to do that for you." He reminded her. She shrugged, strands of hair flowing about her face.

"Keeping busy helps." She said simply. She was worried about Alex too. She may have welcomed guests to the Inn once more once the cleaning was over, but Jim knew she was worried. She was simply a woman who dealt with stress and such things best by working on other things. Today it must be laundry. "Where are you off to?"

"I have to do something." Jim told her, backing to the door. "Sitting around here is crazy and maddening. I can't do it anymore."

Sarah shook her head, her eyes filling with worry. "Jim, what can you do that the people already searching for her can't? The Academy has sent its best students and officers out searching. Even Captain Amelia went to look."

Jim shook his head. "They don't know the full story, Mom. Look, Alex isn't just a mechanic. I can't tell you any more than that…but no one else knows either. They're not going to find her if they don't know the whole story."

"And you do?" Sarah looked so frustrated with him, a basket on one hip and her free hand on the other, that it was like a flashback to years before and on impulse Jim moved to hug her.

"I do. I'll be back when I find her." He promised. He grinned and opened the door just in time to see a smoking ship fly overhead, crashing on one of the docks and sliding all the way to the end of it. It stopped only a few feet from the edge, the engine on the right wing sparking and belting awful purple smoke.

Sarah gasped in shock, moving to set down her basket so she could run and help. Jim was already moving. He slid to a stop on the wooden dock, hammering on the door.

"You okay in there?"

The hatch blew open and smoke exploded from its confinement, someone practically falling through the door to land on the deck, coughing.

"Stupid hunk of junk…" a familiar voice grumbled. Jim was on his knees beside them a second later.

"Alex?"

"Hey Jim…sorry I missed the party." The girl whispered. Jim ignored her coughing and filthy state, pulling her into his arms. Only when she winced did he loosen his hold a bit, looking down at her. "My shoulder." She said by way of explanation. "Turns out bad guys don't like it when their prisoners escape."

With that the girl's eyes slid closed and she went limp. Jim caught her before she could slither all the way to the dock, lifting the unconscious girl into his arms as Sarah reached him.

"Alexandra! Oh thank the stars…quick, let's get her inside. Is she alright?"

"I think so." Jim said, inspecting the girl in his arms as he walked. "her shoulder was injured or something…and I doubt the atmo feed in the ship she was on was working well."

"Right, take her to her room. I'll be up in a minute with some supplies."

Sarah dashed off, calling for Sam to come and join her in the kitchen. Jim ignored them both, carrying Alex up to the top floor of the Inn and to her room. He settled her in her bed with care, brushing hair from her face and stroking a dirt covered cheek.

In an instant, the fear that he'd never see her again both hit him and disappeared in an instant. He hadn't dared to let himself even consider such a thing while she'd been gone. But six days of constant worrying and fearful thoughts tended to build up, no matter how often he went flying in the canyons on his solar surfer. At the same time, his relief at having her back made the two conflicting emotions boil in his middle.

Then Sarah and Sam had come into the room. The boy carrying a bowl of hot water and a few towels over an arm. Sarah had a plate of food and a glass of water. "Alright boys, out you go." The woman said, bustling them both from the room. Jim stiffened when the door was closed behind him and simply sank to the floor outside of it, leaning against the wall.

"Jim? You okay?"

"I am now."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Alex's wake up was slow, calm and relaxing for the first time in days. There was no warning beeping sound coming from the engine of the ship she'd borrowed, so water in her face, no pain… just the soft sheets of her bed and the weight of someone's hand on hers.

She opened her eyes, pale blue taking in her own ceiling for a moment before the memories came back and she smiled. She'd make it home…finally. She didn't even know how long she'd been gone…she just knew that it had taken four days to get home thanks to the few resources she could use.

She felt skin brushing her own and looked to her left. Jim sat in a chair beside her bed, reading a book as his feet were propped against her nightstand. His hand was resting on hers though, his fingers twitching a bit and she grinned, lifting an eyebrow.

"Get your feet off the table." She scolded. Jim quickly did as he was told before glaring at her, though his eyes smiled.

"You sound like my Mom."

"At least one of us does. What are you reading?"

"Nothing special." The boy said, tossing the book aside and moving to sit on the edge of the bed instead. Alex opened her mouth to ask something else, but then he was leaning over, pressing his lips to hers in a manner than made the butterflies whirl in her stomach.

"Jerk." She whispered when he pulled away, smirking a bit. "I can't even sit up, you're not helping."

"Who said I was trying to help?" Jim pointed out, leaning over her, one arm braced on the other side of her waist. Alex looked up at him, trying to smile and keep up the joke…but her eyes were filling with tears.

"I was so scared, Jim." She whispered. The boy didn't hesitate, moving to lift her into a sitting position, letting her lean against his chest since she couldn't really hold herself up.

"Who grabbed you?"

"My parents."

"What?" Jim pulled back a bit, looking down at her. His body was tense with anger and his eyes dark with it. The look only made Alex feel safe, because he was angry for her.

"My dad showed up at graduation…I didn't say anything but… I guess he and my mom are spies working Freesa. They're working with the bad guys there Jim, the ones who were going to capture spies. They figured out who I was based on my codename…"

Jim sighed, his eyes still angry as he pulled her close. The moment she was wrapped up in his arms Alex felt safe again. She didn't know how he did it…but she liked it a lot.

"I rigged up a tracking device though." She whispered, sighing softly against his chest, fingers curled around his shirt. "On the ship where they took me. We'll be able to find them that way."

"That's my girl." Jim whispered, his breath hot on her ear before his lips brushed the skin in front of it. "Making the most out of a situation."

Alex chuckled softly, the sound muffled as she hid her face in his shirt, her arms sliding around his waist. "Learned from the best." She muttered.

"That's right, you did." She felt Jim's cheek resting on her head and sighed. It was all better. She'd made it home, she was safe, and now she'd be able to rest and not have to worry. She'd done something good, she'd helped…and now she could sit back a bit and let things happen.

"Alex?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad you're back."

The girl snorted softly. "Me too." She said wryly.

"'Cause I have this ring here…and for a moment there, I was afraid I wouldn't have anyone to give it to."

Alex blinked, pulling away from the boy so her eyes could find his. "What was that Jimbo?"

He grinned, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a gold ring, a diamond framed by two smaller sapphires on it. "It was pretty and made me think of you." He said with a shrug. "Of course there's only one way I'd be able to hand it over."

Alex couldn't hide the smile very well, and her eyes were shining like lanterns. All the same, her voice simply bounded bored. "And what might that be?"

"I'm afraid you'd have to agree to marry me." He said with a shrug, the smirk on his face widening. Alex rolled her eyes.

"I suppose I could do that." She muttered, sounding entirely resigned to her fate. But when Jim's lips found hers she was more than happy to return it, giggling in pure joy when he set her free and slid the ring onto her finger. How incredible a feeling it was, to sit here in a too-large nightshirt she'd stolen from Jim, her red brown hair tangling down her back, and her shoulder aching…and yet her heart was singing, flying high in the clouds it seemed so far gone from her chest.

She held up her hand, her thumb rubbing at the new object wrapped around her finger. She knew it would take getting used to. She also knew she was more than happy to accept the challenge.

"Alexandra Hawkins…I rather like the sound of that."

Jim chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders once more, kissing her temple. "Me too."

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_Alright yes, it's still on the short side...but considering the content, I didn't think you guys would mind too much =P_

_Please please review and let me know what you think! It's every day a girl gets to write a marriage proposal XD_

_Your Giddy Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

"You want to go where?"

"Oh come on Graham, it's not that bad." Alex rolled pale blue eyes to the ceiling.

"Not that bad? You're talking about one of the most well-known Pirate hang-outs in the entire galaxy."

"Yes, and?"

"And, are you listening? Pirates!"

"Yes, pirates." Alex repeated with a slight giggle. "Graham, you really don't know me very well by now do you?"

"I know that you're crazy enough to go in there, but I can't let you put everyone in that position."

"And I'm not asking anyone else to go." Alex leaned casually against the young man's desk, blocking him from his work. It was the only way to make him pay attention, though it seemed pretty undivided now. "Look, for our next mission, just take the one that's nearby."

Deep blue eyes glared up at her. "It's not that simple."

"Yes it is." Alex said, turning to the mess of papers on the desk and finding the one she needed, waving it before his nose until he snatched it from her fingers. "I need to visit the Mermaid's Inn, and I can do it while the rest of you are busy."

"Why do you need us to go with you?" Graham pointed out. He hadn't missed the fact that she did a lot more work elsewhere in the universe than most mechanics. Thankfully he knew better than to ask why.

"Because I don't want Jim suspecting anything." Alex said with a grin, glancing at the ring on her finger. In the last few months, she'd grown to feel it was as much a part of her as her nose; she couldn't take it off and didn't. "Just trust me, please? It'll all go perfectly!"

Graham slumped in his chair, something he only did when he was worried about something. His princely manners were as natural to him as breathing was to Alex. "Lex, I can't just let you go in there by yourself-"

Alex's growing grin stopped him. "No need to worry about me, I've got friends who will get me in safely." She assured him, her voice both mysterious and confident. She wasn't worried in the least and her confidence was catching.

"Well…alright, if you say so." The prince muttered, sitting straight once more and setting down the paper with the mission parameters. "I'm guess you don't want Jim to know you're not actually participating?"

"Exactly." Alex said, hugging him before dashing from the room. Graham chuckled in amusement, shaking his head. Those two were the weirdest and yet most perfect couple he'd ever seen.

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Pushing open the door to the famous tavern was enough of a warning for everyone inside, Alex knew. Sneaking away from her own crew had been easy enough. They hadn't needed a mechanic this time around. And now she was strolling right into the Lion's Den, as it were.

The glances sent her way were casually done, people taking an interest in the window behind her and looking her over on the way. But Alex met every gaze, seeing their own wariness and hiding her own with ease. This wasn't the reason she'd been trained, but it certainly would come in handy here.

The girl wove her way through the crowds and tables, the dark smoky air thick with scents as much as suspicion. The only light in the room were candles on the tables and a large fireplace at one end of the room. Despite that, people seemed to be having a good time. Men gambled on dice and card games. Women in low cut dresses and heavy makeup sat on men's laps and promised to be their good luck charm. A man by the bar played an accordion and a few men around him had picked up the song. And now that Alex's initial appearance was deemed normal, she was ignored.

She reached the counter and leaned on it with one arm, a hand on her other hip. The action lifted the edge of her long cloak enough for the glint of the blade on her hip to be seen.

"Can I 'elp you?" The barkeeper only sounded bored at her display. Alex didn't show any dismay or anger, simple smiling. The sweet look may have been out of place, but the hard look in her eyes was not.

"I want to see him."

The man looked at her, eyebrows raised behind hair so filthy she wasn't sure what color it was. His three eyes blinked in turn and he shook his head. "He don't wan' no visitors, miss. My apologies."

Alex only looked at him, not saying a word. She didn't blink, watching as the twig of a male shifted uneasily.

"I'll ask, shall I?"

"You do that." Alex said, leaning her other elbow on the bar as well. "Tell him Keeper is here."

The barkeep nodded and scuttled off. Alex watched him hurry up the staircase in the back corner and down the long hall out of sight. He was back only a minute later, his trio of eyes wide.

"He says yer to go right up, Miss. 'Tis the room at teh end of the hall."

"I thought so. Thank you, sir." The girl said, leaving a coin on the counter which the man eagerly snatched up. Alex moved along the edge of the room, keeping her eyes on the staircase. She reached it without incident and breathed a silent sigh of relief as she climbed the steps. Yes, she knew how to look like a seasoned pirate, and yes she could use the sword on her hip. But conflict wasn't really her thing and she'd been hoping to avoid it.

She moved to the door at the very end of the hall, opening it and ignoring the creaking hinges. A normal Inn would oil them. But in an Inn for pirates, squeaking hinges provided a warning in case someone tried to sneak in.

"Keeper, is it?" a large shadow in the chair before the small fireplace shifted a bit. Silhouetted by the light behind him, she couldn't see his face, but she did see the glint of metal.

"Hello to you too, Silver."

The shape moved again, getting to his feet and moved out the light of the fire, letting it bathe the girl near the door.

"Alex?"

The girl grinned and pushed her hood back. "The one and only."

The man before her laughed, a hearty sound, and he swept forward, lifting her right off the floor in a hug. She giggled happily herself, more than happy to see the old trouble maker. The sound of his laughter made something beneath her hair wiggle a bit, a pink blob popping out in curiosity.

"Morphy?" the pirate asked in disbelief, only to be attacked by the morph a moment later. The blob splatted against his face before reforming, his tongue bathing the man's face in joy.

"He missed you." Alex said with a grin. The poor thing had missed a lot of people lately…being unable to have pets at the Academy he'd been living with Sarah at the Benboe. And as much as he loved Sarah, the woman's life was far too boring for the morph. Things had been better lately, now that they had their own ship and their own missions. No one minded the pink blob in the least, and Morph loved them all right back. He was especially fond of mimicking Graham, with his stiff posture and formal speech.

Silver was chuckling, cuddling the blob as best as he could as the little monster zipped all about him in greeting. "Stars above, Morphy, it's good to see you. And you, Rosie! You're all grown up!"

"Not quite." Alex said with a wide smile. "Most grownups don't go waltzing into pirate bars to find old friends."

The reminder made the man pull her right into another hug, depositing her in one of the chairs by the fire as he took a seat in his own once more. His good eye was focused on her face, while the mechanical one zoomed up and down her as if he couldn't believe she was real.

"So…the famous Keeper. Never guessed it was you, Alex."

"Wouldn't be much of a codename if you had." She pointed out with an eye roll. "What do you think, is it fitting? Me being a spy?"

"Yes and no." the man chortled, shaking his head and sitting back, his fingers laced together over his large belly. It looked like he was wearing the same grease stained shirt he'd been wearing when they last saw each other. "But now that I get a good look at ye…I'd say it's very fitting. Who better to play representative t' the pirates?"

"I'm not your representative." Alex laughed. "I'm not even supposed to be friend with you, at least not officially. I was forced to invent a source for the information I get from pirates, just so my superiors don't panic."

"This source have a name?"

"Of course not. I can't share it for his own safety. If word got back to his pirate captain, he could get caught." Alex's simpering voice made Silver chuckle once more.

"Aye, you've grown up, no matter what you say. You found yerself a ruthless streak."

"Too much time with Jim." She said with a shrug. "He does that."

"Ah Jimbo…last I 'eard he was one of the Academy's finest pilots." Though the words were casual, Alex knew she'd struck gold. Silver was aching with curiosity.

"You heard right. Right now he's trying to get a little time off work…we both are. We decided we'd like a longer honeymoon."

Silver's good eye lit up like a light bulb and both eyes zoomed to latch onto hers. "Honeymoon? You don't mean…?"

"No. We're marrying separate people at the same time." Alex said dryly, only to laugh. Her face was glowing with too much happiness to hide behind sarcasm. "Yeah, we're getting married."

"I knew it!" Silver leapt to his feet, excitement making him spry, and lifted her into yet another hug. "I knew it way back when I was playing ship's cook! I knew it would happen!"

"I'm glad someone did." Alex giggled merrily when she was finally set down once more. "I need the man who gives me away to be confident in us after all."

Silver ran out of words at that point, simply folding her into another hug, though he didn't lift her from the floor this time. Alex suspected he was holding back tears when she heard him sniffle a bit.

Finally he almost pushed her into her chair and wiped at his eyes, saying something about the room being dusty. "Right then, how long have you two been courting? I have a lot to catch up on!" he exclaimed. Alex smiled and settled back in her seat, letting Morph plop on her shoulder, snuggling up against her neck and fall asleep as the pair talked long into the night.

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_I know i know, I'm a horrible person. I'm only getting later and later with these. it's just hard to keep up interest in writing this when I know you guys aren't super into it either, lol. I finally got Jimbo to propose and I only got three reviews? I'm sad :( But resigned, I knew it was bound to happen eventually. The story crossed the "dragging on" line =P_

_Well, please review and tell me what you thought! The story is almost over, I promise, lol._

_Your tentative authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

Alex stood before the mirror, certain that if she smiled any wider her head would split in two. And then where would she be? Not only would she be a headless bride, but she'd get bloodstains all over her pretty dress!

And apparently her nervousness was affecting her brain. She normally didn't think such strange thoughts…

The last month had been beyond wonderful. Busy and hectic and messy and insane…but wonderful. Jim's birthday had come and gone. The party was a small but joyous occasion, and thankfully uneventful. Aside from the moment when Alex had told Jim to close his eyes and snuck Silver into the room at least. Despite the company at the Inn, Silver and Jim had ended up sitting at the bar talking the night away.

Alex's tracking device she'd left on the ship where her parents had held her had come in handy. She didn't even know about until afterwards, when she discovered that the signal had been tracked and the ship destroyed.

Despite everything, Alex had cried when she got home. She wouldn't miss her parents really, just the idea of having them. It was harder to let go of the idea that someday they might have loved her. Jim had held her and shushed her, even as he called her a dummy to her face. She'd been unable to help but laugh through her tears. He was good at that.

Of course other things had also happened as well. More missions and such had gone both well and not so well. After the last one, poor Christy was going to have to her job as maid of honor with her left arm in a sling. On the other hand, at the end of that mission they'd ended up on a small forest moon not too far from Montressor, where the natives lived in tree houses. Jim had suggested they get one as a joke, but now the pair were proud owners of a small hut in an enormous tree. They'd been working on the run down little place whenever they had free time, but they'd agreed not to spend the night until their wedding night. Well…tonight.

And now that her thoughts had gone full circle, Alex found her smile growing once more. She quickly clamped down on the expression, her cheeks were starting to hurt. And she didn't doubt that she'd go right back to smiling later as well. She may as well rest her face muscles while she could.

The result was her looking as calm as a soft spring morning. Her hair was curled, left to hang down her back in dozens of ringlets. It only reached just past her shoulders. She'd been forced to trim a few inches off a few missions ago when a laser had singed the ends of her hair. Jim said it was perfect, but he said that about everything. It was impossible to get his opinion on things…he was too lazy or too biased to be honest.

Still…not even he could pretend not to like her dress. The white silk hugged her torso, seeming to swirl around it until it reached her hips where it flowed to the floor. White silk ribbon roses bunched at the base of her spine where the fabric was cinched together at the head of the train. The fabric was a silk waterfall which would trail behind her a foot or two.

She'd refused a veil. Alex never saw much point of them, and it would only mess up her hair and make her head itch. And the idea of purposely blocking her vision seemed silly.

"Are we ready? I think we're ready…" Sarah bustled into the room, dressed in a lovely violet ensemble and her hair pinned and curled. She seemed more worried about this whole wedding business then Alex did! Sarah wanted a perfect day…while Alex was more interested in making Jim's jaw hit the floor and then dragging him off home where he could tear the dress right off.

And there she went once again. Her brain was seriously broken today.

"What about Christy?" she asked.

"Christy? Isn't she…Christy?" Sarah called down the hallway. The blue haired girl appeared a moment later, flashing a smile at Sarah and then looking at Alex with a grin.

"Wow Lex, I'm proud of you! It's been almost a whole hour since I last saw you, and you're free of engine oil stains!"

Alex made a face at the girl in the mirror, scrunching up her nose. "I'll have plenty of time to mess up the dress after I've gotten married. There is an enormous cake out there with my name on it, after all."

Christy snorted and shoved her way before the mirror, tugging at her shimmering blue dress to make sure it showed off her bosom in just the perfect way. "What, do you plan on starting a cake fight?" she asked, resettling her sling. The thing looked almost elegant as they'd used silver silk rather than the ugly thing from the hospital.

Alex's lips twisted into a smile. "Actually I was just betting on my ability to drop a piece into my lap…but a cake fight would be a blast!"

Christy froze guiltily and turned to look at Sarah, wincing a bit. "Sorry."

Alex rolled her eyes and Sarah sighed. "I don't know why I'm even bothering." The woman exclaimed, sounding beyond exasperated. Alex smiled and went to the woman, taking her hands in her own and giving them a supportive squeeze.

"Sarah…you're like a mother to me, you know that. And in a few hours, you will be on paper as well. But really, you can relax." She said, her smile returning in full force. "Today isn't about being perfect…today isn't about a cake or a dress or a pavilion out on the grass. It's about the people. It's about the smiles and the laughter and the fun that we have. I don't want to look back on today and see a wedding like everyone else's. I want to see the happiest day of my life."

Sarah had tears in her eyes and Alex giggled softly. "And apparently I'm extra sentimental today too. But really, you can relax. If things don't all go perfectly…that's okay."

Sarah rested a hand on Alex's cheek and leaned in to kiss the other. "Alright. I claim the right to start the cake fight then." The woman teased before she disappeared out the door. Alex stared after her, incredulous, and Christy snorted and burst out laughing.

"You will have the coolest mother in law ever." She said with feeling. She'd met Robin's parents about a month back. She and his mother would never get along in a million years. The young woman was more than happy to be openly jealous of Alex's relationship with Sarah.

"I dunno, I think I'm more excited about the husband bit right now."

Christ rolled her eyes and went back to touching up her mascara. "Of course you are."

Alex giggled softly. "I think I'm allowed to be, I am getting married after all."

"Excuses excuses. You two are attached at the hip as it is, somehow I don't know if being legally married will make a difference."

"It will. It'll mean I'm his and he's mine…and goodness there you go, making me get all sentimental again!" Alex complained. "Alright, I'll meet you downstairs before I start getting sappy again." She laughed.

Christy dashed to the door before her. "No! Jim can't see you! I'll go ahead and spy for you."

The girls giggled their way through the inn, making their way to the lower levels as if they were actually being sneaky. They weren't really, but it was fun. It was also pointless, as Jim was outside the whole time. Alex peered around the corner of the Inn once they slipped out the front door, looking at the man waiting for her at the end of the aisle. He was chatting with Sam, his best man, and Silver who was waiting for the signal to come back and get her.

He was perfect. His hair was a bit windblown and his cheeks flushed, and Alex knew he must have gone flying for a few hours that morning to distract himself. His suit was perfectly fitted over his shoulders and Alex knew of the muscle hidden by the unassuming black cloth. Even from here she knew that his eyes were shining, probably just as much as her own pale blue were.

"I'll get Silver." Christy whispered to her, hurrying out to grab the cyborg and practically drag him back to Alex's hiding place. The guests, having seen Alex sneaking about, were all moving to take their seats and Jim stiffened a bit. Alex couldn't help but laugh to herself at his nervousness.

Then Silver was there, smiling down at her and offering his arm. He lifted an eyebrow at her barefoot state, but she only grinned. Who needed shoes when the grass was so soft and cool? Morph, hovering by his shoulder, hiccuped softly and Alex looked at him before realizing that she could see two rings hovering about in his body.

"Morph, you're supposed to carry the rings, not eat them!" The pink blob giggled and hiccuped once more, spinning a bit and reforming, holding out two little arms, each with a ring bracelet. "Better." She whispered with a smile.

Then the music was starting and Silver was patting her fingers on his arm, and leading her around the corner. Then she was floating down the aisle, her smile blooming once more at the way Jim looked when he finally saw her. Then they were holding hands and exchanging vows and then the rings, and Morph was zipping over to Silver and crying softly into a puddle in the cyborg's hat. Then Jim was kissing her senseless and the people in the audience were cheering.

And then, their story really started.

THE END

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_I changed my mind! Not about the end obviously, seeing as that was it, lol. It just seemed silly to make you all wait for it when I had finished writing it!_

_And...that's it! it's over! Wow...wow, it's over. I can't really believe it o.O I started this story_ _soooo long ago I don't even know what that was anymore! i wrote the whole thing and then rewrote it entirely! i ahve been working on this story for years, i think i started in 2005 sometime. That's seven years O.O SEVEN. Honestly, it's been a long time in coming!_

_Lucky for you all, the sequel is already posted! And no, I'm not redoing that one, though it probably needs it -.- It's already all done though, sweet right? it's called 'The Gypsy's Curse' dun dun DUN XD And yes, I have part 3 in the works...it's nine chapters in so far, not bad! I may to edit up some stuff in there now that I've redone this story, but 9 chapters is a pretty good head start ^^_

_PLEASE review! this is the end of the story, and I'd love to know what you thought! Was it predictable? Was it awful? Was Alex a good OC or a totaly Mary Sue? TELL ME because otherwise I'll never improve :P Or if you just loved the whole thing? tell me that too because it makes me happy :D_

_I love you all to bits!_

_Your loving Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


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